


Beyond Here and Overthere

by Dylan_EV



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-03-10 14:29:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3293813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dylan_EV/pseuds/Dylan_EV
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when the characters from the world of Once Upon a Time meet the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and some other emblematic figures from the Marvel Universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Baby Steps

**Author's Note:**

> Each chapter will be written from a different character's point of view.  
> This fic is post-4a for OUAT and post-2a for AOS.

Hundreds of universes.

They all follow the same time line but exist in different dimensions, parallel to one another. Within each one of these universes, there are several galaxies. Those galaxies, sometimes protected by guardians, contain themselves millions of stars and planets. On one of these planets, commonly called 'Earth' by its inhabitants, in a magical town called Storybrooke, lived a young woman. This woman was Emma Swan. Until the age of 28, Emma Swan's life had been the life of someone always on the run, always fleeing, someone whose walls were always up. Emma had never found a proper home until the day her biological son, Henry, whom she had given up for adoption ten years before, had come to pay her a visit in Boston to tell her the truth about her fate. And Emma's fate was not the usual one. She was rather special; the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming themselves. Of course, at the very beginning, Emma had been very skeptical of all this fairytales-are-real stuff. But with time she had learned to accept who she really was. A Savior, and she had done a lot of savings, that is to say. Emma and her family had defeated their last enemy Ingrid, also known as the Snow Queen, a woman with whom Emma shared a bond like no other since she was a young teenager. Yet now, Emma's life was pretty simple: no more curse to break, no more dragon to slay, no more crazy stuff to resolve. Actually, Emma's life had become boring.

Boring might be exaggerating but not so much. Of course, Emma had amazing parents and brother, a handsome boyfriend (and she hadn't been very lucky when it came to romantic relationships until now), a son that she loved with all her heart and very good friends like Regina or Belle. So indeed, lately, Emma had been thinking how boring her life had gotten. She was missing having adventures, casting magic spells, living on the edge. What Emma was ignoring tough, is that this day would become the beginning of something new and mysterious but exciting too, beyond anything she had ever imagined.

 

It was a Saturday morning and Emma woke up at nine a.m. She jumped out of bed and walked into the empty kitchen of the nice apartment she had just afforded with Killian. She grabbed a dozen of eggs and a bottle of milk in the fridge and started making pancakes. Soon the delicious and sweet smell of the batter cooking in the frying pan enveloped he room. A few minutes later Killian walked in and started helping Emma. He kissed her cheek, whispering a little, "hi, love," in her ear, then took a couple of apples out of the fruit basket and cut them into small dices before putting them into the mixer.

"Got any plans today?" Killian asked.

"I have to meet mom and Belle. We're going to shopping for the baby," Emma answered. "Can you hand me the sugar, please?"

"I guess it's girl day, then."

"That's right. Henry's gonna go horse riding with David. Maybe you should go with them?"

"Nah, I'll just stay here, watch some Netflix."

Emma smiled. She remembered the first time she and Killian watched TV together and since then, her boyfriend had become pretty obsessed with shows. He had an unexplainable interest for cop dramas, especially. Killian took two plates out of the cupboard and put them on the table while Emma served the pancakes and poured apple juice into their glasses.

"It would be nice, if we had a child of our own, wouldn't it?" Killian asked rather randomly in the middle of the breakfast.

Emma almost choked on her pancake.

"Hum, don't get mad. But we've only been together for about six months and a baby would be the least of my preoccupations right now."

"That was just a simple suggestion,” he grumbled.

"I know... Crap, it's almost 9," Emma said with surprise after taking a look at the clock on the wall. "I have to get ready for today."

She got up and went directly to the bathroom, situated next to her room. She took a quick shower and was ready in less than half a hour. She kissed Killian goodbye and soon after was driving in her bug direction her parents apartment. As she was used to, Emma entered the house without knocking the door. Belle and Snow were chatting at the kitchen counter while David was busy playing on the floor with Neal, Emma's baby brother, who waved his little hand at Emma when he noticed her presence.

"Oh, Emma, you're here,” Snow murmured with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good. So are you guys ready for today?"

"Almost. David, can you put Neal's shoes and coat on please?" Snow asked her husband.

"On it," Charming answered, lifting his son up from the floor.

"Would you like something to drink before we go?"

"No, I'm okay, I just had breakfast with Hook."

“Good. I'm gonna go get my purse and wallet, I'll be right back.”

"All ready," David said, putting Neal in Emma's arms.

"Thanks dad. Hey there,” Emma coo’d, kissing her brother's forehead.

“Well, I guess we can go now." Snow said, who was back from her room.

Belle stood up from her seat, revealing a big round belly under her purple shirt.

"Need some help?" Emma asked.

"No, thank you."

"I'm gonna get the baby stroller and then I'll go pick up Henry at Regina's.”

“Okay, let's go.”

 

Outside, the blue sky was illuminated by outbursts of sunshine and white flowers were blooming on the trees. The girls passed before Archie who was walking Pongo, his loyal Dalmatian. They spent the whole time talking about the sex of Belle's future baby. Emma was convinced it was a boy, while Snow leant more towards a girl.

“I don't really care whether it's a boy or a girl,” Belle admitted. “You know, as long as it's healthy.”

“All will be fine,” Emma reasoned.

“I'm just a little worried. It's the child of the Dark One after all.”

Belle hadn't had any news from her ex-husband since the night she had forced him to walk over the town line. She had moved from Rumple's huge mansion (the memories she had of there were too bittersweet) and had been living in a little apartment situated inside the library of Storybrooke. She also had closed the pawnshop and tried to give every belonging back to their rightful owner. When Belle found out she was pregnant, Emma had been the first person she told. Since then, both girls had developed a close friendship and had often been calling each other for mom-to-be tips.

“Neal wasn't mentally troubled or whatsoever,” Snow noticed.

“Yes, but Rumple wasn't the Dark One yet when Neal was born. I have read so many books about the subject and never did a Dark One become a father, ever. I don't want my kid to be a monster.”

There was an awkward moment of silence.

“Neal, I'm mean my son Neal, has learned a new word: dadda” Snow said to change the mood.

“Aw, that's so cute.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you guys something,” Emma said. “Hook wants us to have a baby.”

Snow stopped abruptly, almost hitting the stroller onto a street lamp.

“Wait, what?”

“I don't know where he got this idea but I told him straight it was too soon.”

“You did good. You don't have to rush things,” Belle added. “I think we've arrived.”

The three women walked into the shop and a little bell rang. Storybrooke's Baby Steps was a small shop specialized in clothing items and furniture for babies and toddlers. Inside, the walls were painted with a pastel pink and several rows of wooden shelves, on which were exposed all kinds of things (from plushes to baby bottles), were neatly aligned. Celeste, the shop's owner, noticed Snow, Emma and Belle and came towards them.

“Hello, Snow!” Celeste greeted, hugging her. “How you doing today?”

“I'm well, thank you. I believe you're already know my daughter, Emma and our friend Belle.”

“Of course. Hi!”

“Hey,” Emma and Belle answered at the same time.

“Do you need something for little Neal?” Celeste asked, bending over to look at the baby who was peacefully resting in his stroller.

“Not really. As you can see, Belle is pregnant and we're here to buy some stuff for the future baby's room.”

“Oh, I understand. If you want, you can leave Neal at the playground corner while you do your shopping. Aurora is already there with Phillip Jr. ”

“That would be nice,” Snow said handing Neal to Celeste.

“You girls have fun!” Celeste said as she walked away.

“I think the cradles are over there,” Emma suggested, pointed to the right of the shop.

The three girls spent almost a hour, looking for the perfect cradle. All this baby shopping thing made Emma quite nostalgic. Nostalgic of something she had never had the chance to experience. She imagined her life if she had kept Henry. She imagined her and Neal shopping together to set up their son's room. She imagined Neal building up the cradle for the baby. She smiled. And at this exact moment, Hook's idea didn't seem that much crazy. They were happy and settled. The perfect time to welcome a baby into the world. The shop's doorbell rang again. Emma stopped thinking about what could have been and her focus came back on the present.

“This cradle is the one I need,” Belle exclaimed cheerfully. “What do you think, Emma?”

“Hmm, yes, good choice,” Emma grumbled, without even looking at the cradle that Belle had chosen.

“Emma, you okay?”

“Yeah,” Emma responded, in an unconvincing tone of voice. “I gotta do something. Stay here, I'll be right back.”

For an unknown reason, Emma was intrigued by the man who had just entered the shop. She got closer to the counter where he was standing and when she was close enough to see his face, noticed that she had never seen him before. He had short dirty blond hair and deep blue eyes. He hadn't shaved for at least three days and was wearing only black. An American flag was pinned on his chest, just where the heart is. _Patriotic much,_ Emma thought. The letters G.B.R were embroidered with gold string underneath.

“Excuse me? Do I know you?”

The man looked at Emma.

“I don't know. Are you the police?” he asked calmly.

“No, but I'm the sheriff. So you better tell me your name right now.”

“And why would I do that? Do you go everywhere and ask random strangers their names all the time?”

“No but I...”

Emma stared at the mysterious man. She felt an impression of déjà vu.

“You what, Miss Swan?”

“I've never seen you in Storybrooke.... and hold on, how the hell do you know my name?”

“You're telling me you know everybody who lives in this town. Truly impressive since people always come and go here. And I know your name because everyone does. You're rather popular, don't you think?”

“So you're not telling me who you are?”

“I'm afraid not.”

“Here you go.”

Celeste was back at her counter and gave the man a small paper bag containing god-knows-what.

“It will be $8.50”

The man put a ten dollar bill on the counter.

“Keep the change.”

“Have a lovely day. You too, Miss Swan.”

He took the bag and walked towards the exit.

“Who the hell was that?”

“I have no idea. He's been coming here for a few weeks now. Nice guy.”

 

“A walnut salad for Snow, a hamburger for Belle, pork chops for Emma and smashed potatoes and carrots for Neal,” Ruby announced putting the plates on the table. “Enjoy!”

“Thanks Ruby! Oh my goodness, I am starving,” Belle said.

The girls had decided to go have lunch at Granny's after they'd finished shopping.

“Emma, are you sure you're alright?” Snow asked, getting really worried.

“Did you guys see that guy at Baby Steps?”

“Quickly.”

“Something's weird with him. I can feel it.”

“Are you sure you're not making things up?

“Maybe. But I need to be sure. What are you guys are up to this afternoon?”

“I have to work at the library.”

“What about you, mom?”

“I think I'm gonna see Regina for a while. Since we failed on finding the author, she has been locking herself alone in her house, except when Henry is there. She needs some company.”

“Okay, I'm gonna call dad and ask him to come at the station so he can help me figuring out who that guy is.”

Emma hadn't even touched at her pork chops that she got up and rushed out of Granny's. She took her phone in her pocket and noticed Killian had been texting her and she forgot to answer him.

'Wifi ain't working!!!”

“C'mon, Swan how do I fix this damn thing????”

“BLOODY HELL SWAN I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!”

Emma replied to him on how to fix the Internet connection, then called her father.

“Hey Dad, can you come at the station, I need your help... Of course he can come... Okay, see you later!”

Emma hung up and got in her car. At the sheriff station, she checked the answering machine to see had any messages and her mails. Ten minutes later, David was there with Henry.

“Hey mom!”

“Hey kid, you're doing okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You can sit here while David and I work on our case. Do you need anything?”

“Nah, I'm good. I've bought some comics to read.”

“So you sounded worried on the phone,” Charming said. “What's going on?”

“I know this doesn't really make sense. But earlier with Belle and mom, I met a weird guy. Too weird, if you ask me.”

“If you think he's up to something then I believe you. What did he look like?”

“Blonde, blue eyes, rather charming.”

“Sounds like grandpa,” Henry joked, who had been listening to the conversation.

“Kid's right. Any more detail?”

“He was wearing an American flag pin on his chest.”

“That's not really helping. I'm gonna try to make an identikit but you'll have to be more precise.”

Unfortunately their search went vain: either too much results or not at all did. Emma remembered the three letters on his shirt but it didn't help in the slightest.

“I'm sorry. Maybe we should go talk to Celeste, perhaps she knows something.”

“It won't be necessary, I already asked her and he's just client of the shop.”

“Wait a second, if I buy some stuff at Baby Steps, maybe it means he's a father. Let me check.”

But nothing. Mysterious man was a ghost. It was like it had never existed. Not in Storybrooke anyway.

 

After a very long day, Emma went at Regina's, who was hosting a barbecue party. In the backyard, everyone was already there. Killian and David were busy grilling different pieces of meat, while Belle was reading a book to Neal whom was too distracted by Henry playing his Gameboy and Snow and Regina were setting up the table.

“Emma! You feeling better?” Snow asked when she saw her daughter.

“Yes. Need a hand?”

“Yes, could you go in the kitchen and get the cutlery please?”

“No problem.”

Emma went back in, quickly followed by Killian.

“Swan, wait!”

Emma stood still.

“I wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said this morning. It wasn't the right time.”

“About a potential baby? Don't worry, it's already forgotten. And it wasn't such a bad idea after all.”

“Are you saying...” he trailed off.

“I'm not saying anyhing. I just reckon that one day or another, it would nice to have our own family.”

“I love you, Swan.”

“I love you, too.”

Around nine, the whole gang was reunited around the same table. On it were there several salads, grilled meat, unctuous sauces, delicious pies and juices. Millions of stars were shining in the sky, dark blue as ink. Crickets were chirping and fireflies buzzing. At this moment, life was nice. Emma's life was not so boring after all. Boring for someone extraordinary of course. For someone ordinary, this kind of life was a dreamed one. However, for Emma Swan, the savior, life wasn't mean to be just 'ordinary'. Soon or later, she would have to face another threat, help someone else, save the day once again. She had had six entire months full of days off and quite frankly, that was too good to be true. The sound of glass shattering broke the silence of the night.

“What the hell was that?” Regina asked.

“I'm gonna go see,” David said, getting up.

Five minutes later, David was back but he was no longer smiling. Instead, his face revealed fear and panic and his eyes were red, as if he had just cried.

“David, what's going on?”

“It's Neal...”

“What about him?!”

“He's missing.”

Snow immediately collapsed on the lawn, bursting in tears.

“Don't worry Snow, we're gonna find here.” Regina said who rushed to Snow to help her to get back on her feet. “Come on, Emma, we're going in town.”

But Emma's mind was focusing on the text she had just gotten.

'I have your brother. Meet me at the townline if you want him back. Come alone.'

“I'm sorry...uh...I have to go...”

 

On the road, Emma realized that everything she had feared since Ingrid's death had become reality. Was that the price to pay against living a peaceful life? Was she even supposed to live such a life? The answer was definitely no. Whoever had taken her brother was going to pay, that is for sure. She wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him or any person dear to her heart. Not again. At the town line, she saw a black car, almost hidden in the dark of the night. A man got out of it and Emma immediately recognized him. It was the man from the baby shop.

“I knew it! I knew you were bad! Where the hell is my brother?”

“Calm down, he's fine, he's sleeping in the car. What a little angel.”

“And you're evil!”

“Am I? You have known me for less than a day, you can already say I'm 'evil'? That's not what you were saying earlier.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I heard you calling me charming.”

“Have you been creeping on me?”

“Creeping is such a harsh word. Watching is more appropriate. I've been watching you and your brother for a while now. I need both of you for reasons I can't reveal. I have been preparing a room for him back home.”

“You're insane! Give me my brother back right now!”

“No. You're going to get in the car and we're going to go somewhere or else, I'll blow up Regina's house where all your loved one are.”

“You're bluffing. You can't do that!”

“Oh yes, I can. Don't underestimate me. I am more powerful what you think.”

Emma couldn't take any risk.

“Fine, I'll go with you. But you promise to leave the rest of my family alone.”

“I promise.”

“Where are we going?”

“Another world.”

Emma didn't try to understand what it means. Are they going back to the Enchanted Forest? Or even Neverland? She actually had a plan on how to get her and her brother out of here, but for that, she had to play it cool. She took a deep breath but as she was about to get in the car, she heard a big bang and she blacked out.

 

“Hey, hey, pssst, hey, wake up!”

Emma opened her eyes. She was lying on the floor. The ground was wet and uncomfortable; Emma felt rubble on her cheek and her mouth tasted like blood. The air smelled like gas and wind were blowing through broken windows. Her left hand was handcuffed to a large rusty pole. Next to her, near tied to another pole, there was the girl who had just awaken her.

“Where the hell are we? What is this place?”

“I don't know. What's your name?”

“Emma.”

“Hi, Emma. I'm Skye.”

 

 

 

 


	2. The Escape Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye teams up with Emma as they try to run away from their abducter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'mysterious man' introduced in the first chapter, who by the way is a totally original character, is back in this chapter. If you want to get a better idea of what he looks like, just think of Chris Pine.

 Skye looked around her. She was not alone. Fifteen other people were sitting on the floor, just like her but she had never seen any of them; a redheaded girl who looked about 8 year old, a black guy wearing a futuristic outfit and even a young boy who was wearing nothing but a short made of some wild animal's skin. Everyone was silent. She looked up and noticed that the ceiling was full of graffiti, like a fresco. She thought of May and Coulson. They were probably really worried at this moment and looking for her, hopefully. It had been only her second day here and she was in great need of a good dinner and a warm shower. All she had eaten was a Poptart. She wished she still had her phone so she could text one of her friend from S.H.I.E.LD or hack onto the Internet system of the place.

She tried to recall what she was doing when she got abducted. It was Friday morning and she had decided to take a walk away from the bus because she couldn't bear staying there any longer. Not since Ward was back on the team. She didn't trust him and neither did May, but Coulson did and May always trusts Coulson. As for Fitz and Simmons, they seemed to believe Ward truly had changed despite what Ward had done to Fitz. Skye needed more proof. She had also found it odd that Ward had decided to show any sign of remorse just at the moment she discovered the truth about herself: she was an inhuman. So she had walked away from the bus for a while and went to the park, and sat down on a bench. There had been no one, except her and a boy throwing a ball to his dog and two old ladies talking in front of the duck pond. When suddenly, she had felt really numb, first in her left shoulder, then to her hips to her knees to her whole body. She had tried to use her powers to free herself, but for some reason, they stopped working. She remembered a man walking towards her, or maybe that was just a woman dressed as man – she didn't see his face – but the man had put a bag on her head. And that was it. Everyone was already there when she arrived.

With inhibited powers, Skye couldn't even try to escape. Why wasn't anyone talking? Were they scared? Skye's eyes stopped on the man just before her. He was practically bald and his clothes were all torn apart and covered of mud and blood. He raised his head up and she noticed that his eyes were all black. Creepy. Skye attempted to speak to the girl with red hair but she was too busy crying to even notice her. Actually, the girl had been crying since Skye got there and Skye wondered how that was even possible. Skye found a little piece of chalk on the floor and started drawing. She wasn't drawing anything particular. She draw a sun, she gave it glasses and legs with shoes. She wrote her name. The time was long, too long. She was sleepy. She was tired, so tired but she couldn't sleep, not here not now.

 

Skye was awoken up by a strange noise. She had no idea how she had fallen asleep and she felt more tired than ever. It must have been about 5am, judging by the color of the sky outside. Almost everyone was sleeping, except for the man with the dark eyes. She noticed that a new girl had joined the group. She had long blond hair and was wearing a blue leather jacket. For an unknown reason, Skye immediately trusted her and that's when she was hit by a crazy idea.

“Hey, hey, pssst, hey, wake up!”

The girl opened her eyes.

“Where the hell are we? What is this place?”

“I don't know. What's your name?”

“Emma.”

“Hi, Emma. I'm Skye.”

“I wish I could say it's nice to meet you but judging by circumstances...”

Skye giggled.

“I understand perfectly. Are you from here?”

“Here?”

“New York.”

“We're in New York?!”

“So, you're from here?”

“No, I've lived here. But the guy said we were going in another world when I accepted to go with him and Nea... Hold on, where's Neal?”

“Who's Neal?” Skye asked, intrigued.

“My baby brother. I gotta get him!” Emma said, instinctively getting up but being pulled back by her handcuffs.

“Relax, he's just beside you.”

Indeed, Neal was peacefully sleeping in a baby carriage. Emma sighed of relief.

“To be honest, I thought that was your son at first.”

“No, he's my brother. I have a son though. Henry, he's thirteen.”

“Whoa, complicated family.”

“You have no idea.”

“So, where do you live, exactly?”

“Storybrooke, Maine.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Would’ve shocked me if you did. We need to get out of here now.”

“It's impossible. I've been here for almost three days and I've tried everything. My powers aren't even working.”

“Wait, you're magical?” Emma asked, bewildered.

“You could say that.”

“I have magic, too. Look.”

Emma closed her eyes as if she was focusing on something but nothing happened.

“Never mind, it's useless. We need another plan.”

At this same moment, someone entered the room. Skye first saw the train of a long dress sweep the ground as the woman walked up to them. The woman was tall and slender, and her dress was dark as night. She had at least five necklaces and all sorts of jewels on her arms and fingers.

“Finally.”

Everyone was fully awake, all ears to what the woman was saying.

“Finally, my life goal is about to be fulfilled.”

Emma and Skye shared a confused look.

“And this, thank to all of you. I am forever grateful. Of course, you are all surely wondering what I may be talking about but details will come later. First, I'm gonna take you somewhere nicer where you will all be able to take a bathe and have breakfast. Because I need you to be in shape for what comes next. And don't try to run away. We wouldn't like to lose some relatives, would we?”

Skye started panicking. She didn't think that something could happen to the team and even if someone did attack them, May would protect them, wouldn't she?

“It's time.”

The lady in black clapped her hands twice and a huge black smoke appeared and covered the whole building. Five seconds later, Skye found herself sitting on a king sized bed in what looked like to be the room of a luxury hotel. She had never seen such a wide room, the ceiling, surrounding by moldings, was so high she could barely see it, big bouquets of red roses had been put in porcelain vases and the bed was made of oak. Skye got up and walked into the bathroom, situated on the left. Everything from the tiles on the floor to the bathtub and the washstand were gold. The room smelled like honey and pine. Someone had already run a bath so she took her clothes off and dived her whole body in the tub. When she was done, she enjoyed the nice feeling of a clean skin and hair. Back in her room, she saw that someone had placed a long black dress on her bed but refused to wear it and put her dirty clothes back on. She tried to open the outside door, and surprisingly it was not locked. A long hall with nine identical doors on each side appeared before her eyes. She needed to find Emma as soon as possible and flee.

“Emma!” She screamed. “Emma!”

The last door on the right opened and Emma walked out of her room. She was wearing her old clothes.

“Oh, you're here.”

“This place is giving me creeps. Let's find my brother and get the hell away.”

Unfortunately, the girls couldn't just scream his name and had to look through every door to find him. They saw the redhead girl still crying on her bed, a man with no legs trying to reach for something, a blond girl wearing Victorian clothes and the man with black eyes who had apparently torn apart the curtains and blankets.

“Greg...” Emma whispered.

“Do you know him?”

“I think so.”

“Oh Emma, look. Your brother's here.”

Neal's room had been settled especially for him. It could as well have been mistaken for his own.

“What kind of crazy lady would kidnap a child and pretend it's her own son, honestly.”

“ I don't know but that women did not kidnap him. She has an assistant.”

“Whatever, they're probably both working for Hydra.”

“What's Hydra?”

Skye looked at Emma like she was from another world.

“Dad-da,” Neal said as Emma grabbed him out of the cradle.

“No, it's not Dad-da,” Emma said. “Okay, let's find the exit.”

But there was no exit, no door that led outside. They went back to their own room to check for a hidden door or hatch but there was nothing. They were literally trapped in a hotel hall.

“Neal would do what to do if I he were here.” Emma said.

“Neal? As your brother Neal?” Skye asked confused.

“No, my ex boyfriend, Neal. Henry's dad.”

“Wait, your brother and ex-boyfriend have the same name?”

“My brother was actually named after my boyfriend. Long story.”

“You're saying it's your ex, what happened between you two?”

Emma paused.

“He died.”

“Oh, I'm so sorry.”

Skye understood what Emma was going through all too well. She too had lost someone close to her heart. For a minute, she thought of Trip and her and what could have been.

“But it's okay. I'm with Hoo... I mean, Killian now.”

Skye wished she had Emma's courage to turn the page, to start something new with someone else. Maybe with Ward. But that was impossible, not now anyway, not after what he had done to her.

“Neal or Killian might not be there right now but I'm sure Captain America is just around the corner.”

“Yeah, of course, if Captain America was real,” Emma laughed.

“...He's real.”

“Good joke, Skye. Totally.”

“He _is_ real,” Skye insisted.

“You're telling me Captain America, _The_ Captain America, from the Marvel Comics exists? I don't believe it.”

“Emma, are you alright? Steve Rogers and the rest of the Avengers have been protecting New York for a while now. I know you moved but literally EVERYONE knows about it.”

“Yeah. From Comics.”

“You do know the comics but don't about the actual Cap, a-k-a the greatest superhero all of time, or about Hydra? Where have you been?”

“Perhaps another world.”

Suddenly all the light went off. It was all dark and no one could see a thing.

“Emma, Emma, where are you”

“I'm right here.”

Neal started crying.

“What the hell was that?”

“I don't know.”

“My dear guests,” a voice said out of nowhere. “Now is time for you all to come enjoy a breakfast in my company.”

Right away, Skye felt her body being transported somewhere else and when she opened her eyes, the minute after, she was sitting around a large table. Several boxes of different brands of cereal, at least ten kind of bread, butter, jam, Nutella, hot beverages such as coffee, tea and hot cocoa and lots of different fruit juice had been place on the table. She guessed that she was in a dinner room and each one of the eighteen abducted people was there too. She saw Emma, but she was too far away from her to even have a private conversation. The lady in black entered the room. 'Play it cool' Skye thought.

“Good morning and welcome to my home.”

No one replied. Most of the guests had judgy looks and seemed more than uncomfortable.

“You're probably all wondering what I gather you here today. But before I go any further, why don't we all have a delicious breakfast. Go ahead, take what you want. I mean some of us have already begun.

Skye looked to her left and saw that the young boy in the leopard shorts already had started eating and his plate was only composed with fruit.

“I won't eat anything you psycho crazy woman gives me,” Emma said angrily. “Maybe they're poisoned.”

“Oh, trust me, if I wanted to kill you, it would already be done.”

Skye pretended to be hungry and when she held the knife to cut some bread, an idea came to her mind.

“Why are you waiting to tell us what you're gonna do with us?” Skye asked.

“You're right, marvelous girl. Let's do it. I don't know whether anyone noticed or not but each one of you is from a different realm.”

Skye had no idea what that might mean and tried to look at Emma but her reaction didn't express surprise at all. On the contrary, it was like she understood the lady.

“Eighteen people, eighteen realms, this is what I need for my plan. Rose from the Wizarding World, Mowgli from the Great Jungle, Alice from Victorian England and her friend Tweedle from Wonderland, a merman from Atlantis, Greg from Neverland... actually Greg isn't really from Neverland, are you Greg? But no one is born there and he was the only one on the whole Island so I guess my plan will still work...”

Skye was so confused she almost thought this was all a dream. She pinched her arm but nothing, she was wide awake. All those people apparently were from fictional lands and that didn't make any sense and what was troubling her the most is that Emma seemed to agree with everything the lady was saying.

“You’re saying that we are all from different worlds but my brother and I both lived in the real world so you're wrong on that part.”

“Actually, I am not. First of all, you don't live in a _real_ world since every world is real but in the Land without Magic, as they call it and unlike your charming little brother, you were born in the Enchanted Forest.”

“Emma, what the hell is she talking about?” Skye screamed. “What's the Enchanted Forest?”

“Where I was born, I'll explain later.”

“No, we shall explain now,” the lady snapped. “Listen, Daisy...”

“My. Name. Is. Skye.”

“Right, Skye. Emma is from a world called the Enchanted Forest where fairy tale characters are real. Her parents are Snow White and Prince Charming.”

“Wait what? I don't understand. THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE.”

“Of course, it is. Don't you find odd that Emma doesn't know that the superheroes does exist despite them being everywhere? That's because you're living in the universe where they do and she doesn't.”

“Emma, is this true?”

“I guess.”

Skye couldn't believe it. So, she was a book character but she was real too? What did that even mean?

“So as I was saying, I need one representative from each realm for my plan.”

She snapped her fingers and eight men dressed in black, with an American flag pin on their chests, entered the room.

“My assistants are going to give you the instructions to what comes next.”

A blond man put an envelope next to Skye's plate and walked away. She opened it. Inside there was a key and a little note. But what she read was not what she had expected.

 

EMMA'S ROOM. 10 AM. DON'T FORGET NEAL. DRINK SOMETHING.

 

She turned her face to look for the guy who gave her he letter but he was already gone. Was this her way out of here? Could she trust him? Too many questions, Too little time. She drank a bit of apple juice but she felt nothing.

 

9:50 am, Skye was back in her room. She was preparing herself to go find Neal and Emma. She also regretted to not have eaten anything but that was too late now. She put the knife she had stolen in her jeans and unlocked the door with the key she had found in the envelop. Finding Neal was easier than expected and five minutes later, she was in Emma's room.

“Skye, you scared me. How the hell did you get in here?”

“With this,” Skye explained, showing Emma the key.

“Listen, I meant to tell you about my origins...” Emma said as she took Neal in her arms.

“Don't. Now is not the time, someone is coming to save us.”

“What?”

“My note wasn't an instruction. Well, technically it was. But it said to meet you and Neal here at 10.”

“Skye, aren't you sure that wasn't a trap?” Emma said with worried eyes.

“Don't think so. What was written on yours?”

“Quake.”

At that moment, Skye finally realized the way out of there. She concentrated a few seconds and knew she had her powers back.

“Step back.”

As Emma moved away, Skye stared at the ground and focused. A crack materialized on the floor and the walls started to shake.

“What the hell are you doing?” Emma asked.

“Escaping.”

The crack became a hole big enough for the three of them to pass through but it was too dark to see anything.

“Well, I think it's time to jump now.”

“What, are you crazy? I'm not jumping in that. It's too dangerous and I have a baby in my arms.”

“Use your powers.”

“But they're gone.”

“Just try.”

Emma closed her eyes, clenched her fists and a slide leading inside the hole, magically appeared.

“See. I'll go first so I can tell you if it's really safe for the baby.”

Skye sat down at the top of the slide and let herself go before landing on what seems to be sand.

“Clear!” she screamed, looking up.”

Emma slid down, Neal on her knees and landed right just behind Skye.

“It's so dark in here. Can you do anything about it?”

“Watch.”

Emma put her hands together and a magical flame appeared, like a floating lantern.

“Here, that should be better.”

“Cool.”

“Thanks. Your powers are pretty impressive, too. Like you can literally make earthquakes happen, that's amazing.”

Skye blushed.

“What do we do now?”

“No idea. I guess we just walk until we find a way out.”

“Hey! Wait!”

Both girls turned back and noticed that someone was walking towards them. What were they supposed to do? Stay here or run as fast as possible? The silhouette got closer and emerged in the magical light, and Skye immediately recognized him: it was the man who gave her the letter during the breakfast.

“I know this guy,” Emma whispered.

“Wait, what?”

“I see that you managed to get here on time.” The man said. “Emma, how are you doing?”

“Don't pretend to care. Can I remind you that you abduct my brother and force me to go with you, otherwise you'd kill my entire family?”

“I had no choice. I needed you to come with me or she was gonna kill me.”

“Why are you working for her anyway?” Emma asked.

“I can't tell you now. We're running out of time. C'mon, follow me.”

“We're not coming with you, are you crazy?” Skye screamed, stepping back.

“Do you really think I would have given back your powers if I wanted to take you back to that crazy lady.”

“That was you?”

“Yes.”

“He's got a point. You should trust me, what do we have to lose?”

“Fine.”

They then started walking, at least, for half a hour. No one was saying a single world. Skye's feet were hurting and she was craving a good meal. Finally, they arrived in a cul-de-sac.

“Skye, do your thing.”

Skye understood what it meant what he meant and created an exit through the wall of stone with her mind. The outside light dazzled their faces.

“Well, I think this is where we leave each other. Oh and one last thing, Emma, I suggest you stay in this world, until someone stopped the crazy land.”

 

“Skye! Where have you been? We've been worried sick!” Coulson said, running to the young woman to take her in his arms.

“Let her breathe, Phil,” May deadpanned.

“I'll explain later. We need to help my friend Emma, first.”

“Hi Emma.” Simmons said. “I don't think I've ever seen you anywhere around here?”

“That's because she's from a different world as ours,” Skye explained.

“Do you mean, like Asgard?” Simmons asked.

“No. A world, brace yourself, a world where fairytales are real.”

Everybody's jaws dropped.

“Are you bloody serious?” Fitz said.

“Dead serious. And we need to make contact with that world.”

“Actually, my family lives another world.”

“No worries,” Fitz dismissed as he walked in another room to go find something. “As long as you've already been in that world, it should be working.”

“What is he talking about?” Emma asked.

“Hold on.”

Fitz was back but all he had in his hands was a simple phone.

“Here, take this. Just dial the number of the person you want to call and tadah!”

Emma took the phone and typed the number of the first person that came to her mind, and brought the phone to her ear.

“...Hi dad, it's me...”

She spent at least twenty minutes explaining her father what happened to her and her brother, where she was.

“No, dad, you don't have to. It's not safe. No wai...”

Emma hung up the phone and threw it on the table next to her.

“Careful with that!” Fitz shouted.

“Sorry. We have a serious problem,” Emma declared.

“Emma, you're scaring me. What's going on?”

“My family is coming here to get me. All of them.”

 

 


	3. White Rabbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charming tries to get back to Emma.

Midnight. Three hours had now passed since both his children had gone missing. Charming turned his head and saw his wife, Snow laying on their bed. He couldn't see her face but he was pretty certain she was awake and crying. He wished he could cry too but he couldn't allow himself. He checked his phone but there were no new texts or missed calls. Wherever Emma and Neal were right now was not in Storybrooke and David wasn't even sure they were together. What it they were already dead? He wiped away the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand and poured himself a large glass of iced water. He had two options: try to sleep, even though he knew he wouldn’t, or go back outside and try to find his children. He grabbed his keys, put his coat on and walked out of the apartment. He heard Snow ask where he was going in a whispered tone, but he didn't answer. ****

He drove through the roads of Storybrooke, hoping to see a familiar face or a clue that could tell him where the rest of his family were. This shouldn’t have happened. Neal was supposed to be sleeping in his cradle at home and Emma in her apartment. What kind of father was he? What kind of father could lose both his children the same day? He had failed. Again. For a second, he thought of driving across the town line but everybody knew what happened to people who left town: they could never come back. He couldn't leave Snow alone, not in this situation. Also, it wasn't in his nature to flee like this, David Nolan's maybe, but not his. He was Prince Charming for god's sake, not a coward, and Prince Charming doesn't run away at the first obstacle. He swore to himself to find his children even if his life depended on it. His phone rang and he grabbed it so quick his car almost hit against a bin. It was Hook calling.

“Hook... what's up?”

“....”

“Okay. I'm on my way.”

Charming arrived at Emma and Hook's apartment in a few minutes time. He was about to knock on the door before he noticed that it was already open. He walked inside and saw Hook sitting at the kitchen table, a glass of what was probably rum near him. 

“David, I didn't hear you, come here.”

Charming grabbed a chair and sat down in front of Killian.

“How are you coping with all this?” Hook asked. “You want something to drink?”

“No thanks. And I'm not well but that's not surprise. You?”

“I'm just trying to stay strong, you know? I can't lose hope now.”

“Sounds like my wife.” Charming said with a laugh that ended up into a sigh.

“The Charming’s have been rubbing off on me.”

“Have you been up all night? You look exhausted.”

“So do you, mate.”

The two men didn't speak at all for a while. Silence was louder than words and although they were saying nothing, they both knew what the other felt. One lost his daughter, the other his lover. A “meow” broke the silence of the room. Charming looked down and Emma's kitten jumped on his lap and snuggled against David's stomach. Emma and Killian had decided to get a cat a month after moving in their apartment, a way to strengthen a bond between two people, the animal shelter's owner had said.

“Does he still not have a name?” Charming asked petting the cat's head.

“At this point his name's just Kitty.” Hook said.

“Not very creative,” Charming snorted. “What will you guys do when you have a child of your own?”

Hook seemed to lose his composure and fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair.

“How did you know? Did Emma tell you...?”

“Tell me what?”

“We're planning on starting on family. Not now though,” Hook insisted.

“Wow, I had no idea. I guess that's fair.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad? Emma's a grown woman. She can take her of a child. Look at her with Henry. Look at her with her brother...”

David's voice broke again. His mind went back to his children again, he had a lump in his throat and he was doing his best to not start crying in front of Hook. 

“Maybe you should stay here tonight. That'd be safer.”

“Yeah... I'll call Snow to tell her. Got an extra blanket?”

 

The next morning, the situation hadn't improved at all. It was like any signs of happiness had left the world and nothing mattered any more. When he woke up, Charming noticed that Snow was already there with Belle, who was playing with the cat. 

“Any news?” Charming asked after kissing his wife.

“No,” Snow said, her eyes were red from crying all night and the sleep deprivation that followed.

“Belle, are you sure it's safe for you to be here, I mean with the baby...”

“I'm fine and even if I wanted to sleep, I couldn't, the baby is too nervous, it's been kicking all night. Pretty sure it's almost as worried for Emma and Neal as I am.”

“I've made eggs,” Hook said putting a large plate on the table. Even the eggs looked sad.

“Thanks, but I'm not hungry.”

“Me neither.”

Hook took the plate back, and threw the contents in the trash.

At 9 am, Regina and Henry arrived. But neither of them brought good news or a bit of joy in the atmosphere. All six of them remained silent: Henry was sitting on the floor reading comics, Belle relaxing on the rocking chair, Snow and Regina were sitting next to each other searching for some kind of comfort, Hook was at the kitchen counter and Charming had been walking around the room for over one and a half hour, when his phone finally rang.

“Hello? Who's this?” He asked, his voice quivering.

“Hi Dad, it's me...”

“EMMA?”

Everyone looked at Charming like he just announced that he’d won the national lottery.

“I’m so relieved,” Charming declared with a smile back on his face. “Where are you? Are you okay? Is Neal with you? Is he alright?”

“Calm down, dad, we're both fine. We were abducted...”

“ABDUCTED? WHAT DO YOU MEAN ABDUCTED?”

“ABDUCTED?!” Hook and Snow repeated together.

“But we're okay now really. There's another problem though.”

“What, what is it?”

“We’re blocked where we are. We can't come back yet, not right now, not until we've fixed this problem.”

“Emma, I don't understand! What problem? Where are you? I'm sure we can find a way to leave Storybrooke to find you, then come back.”

“No, that's not it because... because we're in another world.”

“Another world?!”

“Not again,” Regina mumbled.

“Yes, I don't really know how it's called but it's a world where superheroes are real.”

Charming couldn't help myself from laughing.

“Right, superheroes...”

“Did he just say 'superheroes'?” Henry asked curiously.

“I think he did,” Snow responded back quietly.

“But Emma honey, superheroes don't exist, they're fiction.”

“Says Prince Charming, AKA the most popular fairytale prince ever.”

“You got a point. Anyway, I still don't see what the issue is?”

“The bad part is that a crazy lady is trying to accomplish god-knows-what so it's better if you guys stay in Storybrooke.”

“Emma, are you in danger?”

“No, I just tell you that I'm fine.”

“I don't care, we're coming to get you.”

“No da...” 

“What's going on?” Hook asked.

“Emma and Neal are trapped in some sort of superheroes realm.”

“Superheroes?” Henry said enthusiastic. “Cool! I knew they were real.”

“What the hell are superheroes?” Hook asked clueless.

“You should really read comics,” Henry pointed.

“But what do you mean trapped?” Snow said. “We have to go look for her.”

“That's what I said.”

“If you guys are going, so am I.” Hook said.

“I'm coming too!” Belle interjected.

“We should all go.” Henry suggested.

“What? Why?” Regina asked. “I have no business going there.”

“Yes, mom, you do. Emma's one of your friends. I thought you were good now and don't you wanna met Thor in person?”

“I, I am. Right, I guess I'm in.”

“Dad... dad, are you still there?”

“Yes, I am. Listen, Emma, your family is coming to get you, whether you like it or not.”

“No, dad, you don't have to. It's not safe. No wai...”

“I love you. See you soon.”

Charming hung up.

“Well, we just have to find a portal to this other world, now. Any ideas?”

 

It was the beginning of the afternoon before they finally came up with a plan. Charming had never really thought about it before but he knew at least one person who had recently used a portal. They found him at The Rabbit Hole, Storybrooke's most popular bar. Will Scarlet was busy chatting with a young woman with blond hair at the counter. Charming poked his shoulder which made Will jumped out of his chair.

“What the bloody hell was that? What do you want, mate?”

“We have to talk to you now.”

“Why? I ain't done nothing!”

Charming grabbed Will by the collar of his jacket and drew him outside of the bar.

“We need your help.” Hook said.

“Me help? For what?”

“How did you get here?”

“Here? At the bar? With me foot. I walked.”

“No, not the bar! Storybrooke. How did you get in this world?”

“Same way as you, with the curse.”

“I'm pretty certain you went to Wonderland for a while before coming back here. How's that?”

“White rabbit.”

“What?”

“The white rabbit. He can create portals to wherever ya want. I asked him and he did it.”

“Just like that? No deal, no anything?”

“He's a rabbit, not Rumplestiltskin.”

“Alright, where can we find him?” Charming asked.

“He's probably back in Wonderland, sorry mate.”

“Bloody hell.” Hook whispered.

“There's absolutely no way to get him here?”

“Actually, there is. He told me what to do in case I wanted to go back to Anastasia...”

“Who's Anastasia?” Hook asked.

“Nobody... back to Wonderland. So, you just gotta whistle a tune and he'll pop up right here.”

“That's all?”

“Ya, watch.”

The second Will began whistling, a magical circle appeared on the ground and a white rabbit wearing a vest hopped out of it. 

“That was fast.” Hook said.

“Oh Knave, it's you. Do you need something?” The rabbit asked, cleaning the dirt off his pants.

“Who else could it be? I thought only we two knew this was our secret tune?”

“We do, well we did. Things got complicated lately with this crazy lady. She tortured my whole family and forced me to open portals to each and every world possible. She kidnapped Alice and one of the tweedles.”

“Alice? Alice is in danger?” Will uttered, panicked.

“Wait a second, did you just say crazy lady?” Charming asked.

“I sure did. What do you know of her?”

“Kind of. Do you remember the last world, you helped her go to?”

“Of course. It was Terra, but most people call it the Land of Superhumans.”

Charming cheered at the thought of them finally having a way to his children.

“That's where we need to go! Can you bring us over there?”

“Just the two of you?”

“No, actually, we're six.”

“Oh, I'm sorry then I afraid I cannot do anything for you.”

Charming felt like his heart was racing rollercoasters in his chest.

“Unless you can give me the Hat.”

“The Hat? What hat?” Hook asked confused.

“The hat that can bring you whererever you want.” Charming explained. “It's impossible, it got destroyed in ashes.”

“That's no big deal, I can make another one easily.”

“You can?”

“Yes. Do you really think the hatter made a hat this powerful on his own? I'm the one who created all the doors. If you can take me to the hatter, I'll be able to make a brand new hat.”

 

Jefferson's house was located uptown, buried deep in the forest. It was a large mansion with an impressive modern architecture. Jefferson lived there alone, with his daughter Grace, and the other inhabitants of Storybrooke barely saw the two of them. Charming got out of his truck, followed by Hook, the girls and Henry were in Regina's car, just behind them; the rabbit had preferred to hop there on his own. Charming walked up the few front steps and knocked on the door. Jefferson appeared in the entrance, he was looking tired by happy. 

“Well if it isn’t Prince Charming himself?”

“Hello Jefferson. Can we come in?”

Jefferson looked over Charming's shoulder and saw the rest of them.

“Ugh, Regina, what are you doing here?”

“Honestly, I don't really know.”

“So are you gonna let us pass?”

“All of you? What for?”

“We need to use your hat.”

Jefferson laughed like a maniac, then sighed.

“My hat? You mean the one you burnt or have you forgotten about that?”

“I didn't burn it, King George did and we have to way to help make you a new one.”

“Really? I'd like to see that.”

The white rabbit moved forward and stood on the porch.

“Good afternoon, Hatter. It's quite a nice home, you have here.”

“Percy! I didn't expect to see you here. Long time, no see.”

“Your friends called me and you know me, I'm always here to help those in need. So where are the hats?”

“Why would I help you though? When I was stuck in Wonderland, away from my Grace, you refused to help me fix my hat.”

“You know that I wasn’t allowed to, otherwise the Queen of Hearts was going to kill my family.”

“Jefferson please.” Charming said. “My daughter and my son are in another world right now. You know what it feels like to be separated from your own child, don't you?”

Something changed in Jefferson's eyes and Charming knew he had just hit home.

“Okay, fine. Come inside.”

They all walked into the great living room where Grace was playing with her dolls.

“Hey Henry.”

“Hi Paige.”

“Don't call her that!” Jefferson warned Henry. “Her name is Grace!”

“Don't talk to my son like that.” Regina said with a menacing voice.

“Hey guys, I thought we were here so we can have a way to save Emma, aren't we?” Belle said.

“Belle's right. Calm down.” Charming said looking at Regina and Jefferson.

“Grace, honey, why don't you go play in your room for a bit? Right, I'll get one of my hats. You should all sit and wait here.”

No less than five minutes later, Jefferson was back with a hat similar to his old one.

“Here you go,” He says giving the hat to the Rabbit.

“Thank you Hatter. I need someone with powerful magic to open the hat so I can go inside and create each door.”

Everyone looked at Regina.

“Me? Do you think it is that simple?”

“For you, it is Regina,” Snow pointed out.

Regina got up, took the Hat out of the white Rabbit's hands and started practising her magic. The hole of the hat got bigger and bigger until it was large enough for two people to go through. Then, the rabbit jumped inside it and disappeared leaving them to awkwardly make small talk with Jefferson until he returned an hour later.

“Well, I think everything's in place. Are you all ready to go?”

“We are,” Charming said. “Are you going to lead us where we want to go?” 

“No, I'll go back to my family in Wonderland. That is the hatter's job. He is the Portal traveler after all.”

“Do they really need me?”

“Yes mate, we do.” Hook said. “So can you please hurry? Emma and Neal are waiting for us.”

Jefferson threw the hat on the floor and the portal opened again.

“After you.”

Belle and Regina went first, then Henry and Hook, and Snow and Charming. Jefferson was the last one to jump into the hat.

They found themselves inside a big circular room surrounded by doors, each one looking different from the others.

“Woah, it is more impressive than I thought it would be,” Snow said.

“I thought Emma and you had already used the hat?” Hook asked his eyes taking turns to linger on each door.

“We did. But we landed directly in the Enchanted Forest, we didn't go through this room.”

“Am I hallucinating or is there one more door?” Regina asked.

“There seem to be. That's probably due to the fact that the land without magic is a land with magic now,” Jefferson explained. “So, where are Emma and your son?”

“A world called Terra.” Charming said.

“Terra? Never heard of it.”

“But most people call it... what did the rabbit say...land of the... hm...”

“Superhumans.” Hook said seeing Charming was struggling.

“That world? I've never had the pleasure to visit it but I hear it's super,” Jefferson laughed at this own joke. “Follow me, it's that door over there.”

They walked to a door painted colorfully in red and yellow.

“This is where you’ll go through, just call when you’re ready to return and I’ll be here waiting.” 

“I still can't believe we're going to meet Captain America, the Hulk and everyone else.” Henry said, all heart-eyes.

“I doubt we'll have time to meet them, kid,” Charming said. “Okay, Jefferson you're sure you don't want to come with us?”

“Nah, I'm good. When do you guys think you'll be back with Emma and Neal?”

“Hopefully, by nightfall,” Charming replied. “Alright, let's go.”

The first things they saw, on the other side of the door, were gigantic skyscrapers, yellow taxi cars and men and women in suits looking like they were late to work even though it was Sunday. 

“This is not how I imagined a world with superheroes,” Hook said. “Looks more like New York?”

“New York?!” Charming said confused. “Are you saying we're in New York?”

“I agree with Killian,” Henry said, “I lived in New York for over a year and this looks exactly like it.”

“This can't be, Jefferson said...”

“Don't tell me we did all of this, just to land in our own world but somewhere else? I can't believe this!” Regina screamed.

Charming searched for a door to be back to Jefferson but there was none.

“Let's just all take a breath,” Snow suggested. “Charming, why don't you try to call Emma?”

“Good idea.” Charming said as he took his phone and touched the call back button.

“...”

“Hey Emma. We've arrived in the world you're in but I think there's a problem. We are in New York.”

“...”

“What do you mean? It's normal? We're at the right place? Oh thank god! Where are you now, we're coming to get you?”

“...”

“Look up? Why?”

“...”

Charming raised his head up to the sky and saw a huge black airplane flying down towards them.

“What the hell is that?” Hook asked.

“Apparently, Emma's in there.” Charming said. “Step back guys.”

The plane was now close enough for them to practically touch it. A huge staircase spread out of it.

“Come up!” A voice said.

 

“Wait, that's your dad?” a brunette who was standing next to Emma asked.

“Yes, and that's my mom.” Emma said.

“But how can they be your parents? You guys look the same age!”

“We are, it's a long story.”

“Damn! So you guys really are Snow White and Prince Charming?” the woman asked staring at Emma's parents.

“Yes, but really we're just ordinary people.” Snow said. She was cuddling Neal in her arms and looking so happy to finally have him back.

“Why do you have a hook instead of a hand?” a short Scottish man asked Killian. “Wait a second, are you...”

“Captain Hook!” an enthusiastic British female exclaimed.

Charming walked away and dragged a man in a suit with him.

“You look like you’re in charge, may I talk to you?”

“Of course, just call me Phil.”

“Right, Phil. I wanted to thank you for taking care of my children.”

“Oh, that's my pleasure.”

“I assure you I would've done the same thing for your kids.”

“That's nice, but I'm not a father.” However, Charming clearly saw that Phil was looking at the woman with Emma.

“Do you want to stay for dinner? It's a sushi night.”

“No, thanks but we have to go now.”

Charming went back to Emma.

“Emma, are you ready?”

“Yes, let me grab my coat and say goodbye to Skye.”

“No problem.”

At the same moment, someone walked into the Bus, as they called it. It was Jefferson.

“Jefferson, what are you doing here?” Charming asked. “How did you find us?”

“I realized something while I was waiting for you, so I opened the portal to come find you guys and this plane was right there and when I tell that woman I was looking for you, she just let me in. I think we all forgot an important thing about how the hat works. The number of people who go in, go back and if I counted well, there is nine of us now, so there's a problem here.

“Crap. So, we're stuck there?”

“Unless we go back to Storybrooke without your kids, yeah, I'm afraid so.”

“Out of the question!”

Charming heard Emma and Skye come back to the main entrance of the Bus.

“Okay Dad, we ca... Jefferson?! What are you doing here?”

“Hi, Emma. Nice to see you too.”

“Is that Bucky Barnes?” the Scottish man asked, who had just reentered the room with the enthusiastic British girl, looking at Jefferson like he had just seen a ghost.

“Who the hell is Bucky?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Of Science and Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma and Belle decide to investigate together while the others are away.

It had been a week since the others had arrived. Jemma didn't like referring to them as that. 'The Others'. They were sweet people, truly, but could she really trust them? They claimed to be characters coming directly out of fairytales, and that was subject at interrogation. Was it really possible that, at this right moment, she was having dinner with Snow White, her Prince and their daughter (who was as old as her parents - which is scientifically impossible), the Evil Queen (since when could Snow White and the Evil Queen stand each other by the way?), Captain Hook, The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland (who looked exactly like Bucky Barnes himself) and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. ****

The night of their arrival, Jemma had immediately found in Belle a possible friend. She had offered her to share her room, until a solution to their problem would be found. Jemma had found out that Belle was a future single mother whose husband was out of the picture, and that he also wasn’t a prince but a dark wizard. Jemma had always dreamt of becoming a mother too, but she had no one to have children with; well she had, sort of. It was complicated. Jemma took a french fry and dared asking the question that she had been eager to ask.

“Are you guys really magical? I mean it’s scientifically impossible.”

“We are,” Emma answered. “I mean, some of us are. I am and so is Regina.”

“But it’s really true magic? Not just some trick illusions?"

“I saw Emma practicing magic and it definitely was not a trick,” Skye interjected. “It was badass."

“What did she do?"

“She created a floating light, you guys should've seen this. It was SO cool."

“Magic might be cool, but it's not as cool as science," Fitz said, high-fiving Jemma.

“Perhaps, your powers are just science that hadn't been explained yet. Skye's abilities can entirely be proven by science," Jemma added.

“You should open your mind more, lass," Hook said. "Look at me, can your science stuff really explain my devilish handsome face?"

“You look totally normal if I may."

“That's what you think but little do you know is that I'm centuries old."

“Wait, what?" Skye said.

“Steve Rogers is really old too but he looks barely thirty. And that’s because he was scientifically frozen..." Fitz intervened.

“Same thing happened to my friends Anna and Kristoff and I'm one hundred percent sure it was due to magic," Emma pointed.

“I would like to know more about your eternal youth Hook," Coulson said after weeping the bit of mayonnaise on his mouth.

“Simple: curses and Neverland."

“Neverland? It exists too?" Coulson asked.

“Of course, not," Jemma said, sure of herself.

“I've always dreamt of meeting Peter Pan,” Skye revealed. “They used to read it to the children at the orphanage?"

“You were an orphan?" Emma asked.

“I was... I am... I...."

“Peter Pan is not as stated in most stories though," Snow explained. "He is – well he was – a little devil imp whose only goal in life was to be forever young –”

“And my great grandfather," Henry interrupted.

“Oh my god, you're kidding?” Skye gasped. “Tell me you're kidding.”

“He's not.”

“That’s unbelievable,” Jemma said, she dipped a fry into some ketchup and turned to her new roommate. “What about you Belle, are you team Science or team Magic?”

“Honestly, I think both co exist in every universe. It is a fact, there were scientists in the Enchanted Forest, as well. Think of mathematics, for example. Everyone has to use numbers somehow. I have read a lot on the matter and most of them agree on the fact magic and science work as a balance. Everywhere there is magic, there is science too and vice versa.”

“That is some wonderful insight, Belle,” Coulson said genuinely. “It's time to go to bed now. Tomorrow, we'll find a way back to your home. Goodnight, everybody.”

 

The morning after, the group separated into two: those who were going to go look for a way back to Storybrooke and the others staying at the Bus. Everyone, except Ward (who was still not allowed to go in the field), Snow (who had preferred staying to take care of Neal), Jefferson (who had 'better things to do' as he had said), Henry (who was far too young) and Belle (because of her pregnancy), left at ten in the morning after a frugal breakfast. Jemma, who had decided to not go so she could assist Belle in case she needed it, gave Fitz the sandwich she had prepared for him and said goodbye to him and the rest of the group. The bus was now almost empty and there was a strange sensation in the atmosphere.

“Jemma,” Snow said, walking towards her. “Can I call you Jemma?”

“Of course, you can.”

“Well, Jemma, I wanted to know if you had any books for children, I'd like to read a story to Neal.”

“I'm afraid not. All the books here are either about SHIELD or Hydra, or science. Nothing that could please a baby, I'm sorry.”

“It's okay. I'll find something else to keep him busy with.”

“Hey, sorry for eavesdropping, but I heard you had books here?” Belle noticed.

“Yes, but I don’t think you would find them interesting.”

“I always say don't judge by its cover or even its title.”

“I couldn't agree more. For example, I once read this book called 'Simple As The Universe', which is a totally misleading title since the universe is probably the most complicated thing ever, especially with what happened this last week.”

Belle smiled as Jemma babbled on about the intricacies of the universe.

“Also, there’s another thing, I wanted to ask about,” Jemma continued, jetting off from her tirade. “Everyone's gone searching for a portal but aren't we ignoring the real issue here? Don't get me wrong, I want everybody to be home safe but I think we're forgetting about the other important thing.”

“What’s that?” 

“The crazy lady, obviously. That lady that abducted our friends and tried to do something probably terrible to them.”

“Are you suggesting that we should do something about it?”

“Definitely. Listen, Skye told me everything, that she could remember, that happened when she was over there with the crazy lady. And I think we should do some research on the subject and try to help everyone.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“So you're in?”

“Of course, but do we have the books we need here?”

“No, but this is New York. Let's go to the Library.”

 

At the library, Jemma and Belle looked for all the books about parallel dimensions and universes they could possibly find. With their arms full of books, they settled at a table in a far corner. The library was rather empty this day and they could work in peace. While Belle was reading intently, Jemma was taking notes, bookmarking pages and highlighting sentences.

“Here, it says that parallel worlds do exist, that we already know otherwise we wouldn't be talking to each other right now, but it is almost impossible to visit them all because it might lead to a catastrophic situation,” Jemma explained.

“That’s probably just a wild guess,” Belle said, “I remember reading a book about a woman who decides to travel through all the worlds because she only has a few months left to live but nothing apocalyptic-like happens.”

“Was it fictional or real?”

“Fictional. Although some declared it is based on real events, a sort of biographical novel.”

“What is the book called?”

“Flight of the Dove.”

“Do you remember its author?”

“A woman named... uh...Christina Ericsson if I remember correctly.”

“Hold on.”

Jemma took her tablet out of her bag and turned it on. After typing “Christina Ericsson Flight of the Dove” in the search bar, she found a short biography of the author:  _Famous for her works about parallel universes, Ericsson always stated their existence, claiming being herself from another world than ours. In her most renowned novel,_ Flight of the Dove _,_ _Ericsson depicts the life of a young woman venturing in the eighteen main worlds..._

“Eighteen worlds... The same exact number of people the crazy lazy abducted. It can't just be a coincidence,” Jemma said.

“Do you think she read the book?”

“I wouldn't be surprised if she is some sort of diehard fan who was obsessed with it.”

“Does the biography say something else?”

“Yes: _Ericsson was the single mother of a young girl named Adrianna. When Ericsson died of terminal illness, her daughter was nowhere to be seen, which made the specialists doubt her entire existence in the first place. Some affirm that before her death, Ericsson left behind her many clues on what really happened to Adrianna and whether or not these eighteen worlds are real. This theory is commonly known as the Dove Theory..._ Her daughter just vanished like that? How odd is that?”

“I don't think she vanished. I bet she was in another world.”

“That would make perfect sense.... Wait, what if the crazy lady is actually Adrianna Ericsson. Maybe she figured out the Dove Theory somehow and is now trying to honor her mother's memory.”

“By kidnapping people against their will?!”

“I admit this part is still fishy. We don't know what would happen if the eighteen worlds get connected, or whatever she wants to with Skye, Emma, Neal and the fifteen other people, but we're definitely onto something.”

“So what can we do?”

Jemma paused. What she was going to say would be insane, especially now.

“We have to find the crazy lady.”

“But it's too dangerous and we have no idea where she might even be.”

“Do you think it's fair everyone is doing something useful and we’re here doing nothing. I want to help!”

“Me too but what if something happens? I want the baby to be safe, and you too, I know what it’s like to run off on half of a plan and nothing good ever comes from it.”

“I understand, and I promise nothing will happen to you or the baby,” Jemma said sincerely.

“Alright. We don't even know where to begin though.”

“I do.”

 

“You are aware that we're walking right into the lion's den, right?”

“I am. It's exciting isn't it?”

Jemma and Belle were now in the underground cave from where Skye and Emma had escaped. Skye had told Jemma a rough estimate of the cave’s location. After going back to the bus to get some supplies, Jemma and Belle had come here and had been wandering in the dark for over forty minutes.

“There's no way out, this is useless. We should just go back,” Belle said, sounding hopeless.

“No, let's keep moving. I'm sure we're going to find something... You heard that?”

Belle stopped walking and listened carefully.

“I hear nothing.”

“Voices! This way! Come on.”

They turned on the left and the voices were becoming louder and louder.

“Oh! I can hear them now,” Belle said. “What are they saying?”

Jemma put her ear against the wall of stone to try to listen to what was happening on the other side.

“When is all of this gonna be over?” a raspy voice asked.

“Hopefully soon. This is getting exhausting, isn't it?” another man responded.

“I know right? That woman is crazy. She's been out of control since those two girls ran away. I mean, look at what she did to Ed,” a third man said. 

“Poor Ed. May he rest in peace.” the one with the raspy voice added.

“Hey Gabs, can you give me a beer?” Jemma heard the door of a fridge being opened and the jingling of a glass bottle.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks dude. What you think of all this?”

“Nothing. Just doing my job.”

“We should just warn Captain America. I bet he'd be able to stop that woman.”

“I doubt Captain America can do anything,” the man called Gabs said.

The other guys laughed.

“There's nothing Cap can't do, Gabs.”

“Hey Jemma, look!”

Jemma looked to where Belle was pointed and saw a handprint carved in the stone.

“Belle you're amazing! Do you think this is the entrance?”

“Let's try.”

Jemma put her hand on the emplacement and the wall started to slide revealing a wooden door.

“Should we go in?” Belle asked unsure, her eyes glancing swiftly at the door.

“Yes. I have an idea. Stay behind me.”

Jemma took a deep breathe and opened the door. Behind there was a room which looked like a private lounge. Three sofas were placed around a coffee table on which were cards and empty bottles, a large cupboard was standing behind the main sofa and a fire was burning in the fireplace which the mantelpiece was made of marble. The five men present in the room were now looking at Jemma and Belle.

“Who the hell are you?” the one with the raspy voice asked. He was tall and his red hair was tied in a ponytail.

“We’re friends of Adrianna. Who are _you_?” Jemma lied.

“I'm Joe. We don't know any Adrianna. You better get away from here now.” He warned.

“Oh silly Adrianna. Its okay you can trust us. She told us all about the Dove Theory.”

The men looked now speechless.

“How... how the... how do you know about that?” another of the boys, slouched in his chair asked.

“We've already told you. We're Adrianna's friends.” Jemma insisted.

“That woman, whatever her name is, doesn't have any friends.” Joe precised.

“I bet Gabs thinks she's his friend.”

“Shut up, Clay!” Gabs, a man with dirty blond hair, responded.

“I know him,” Belle whispered to Jemma. “I've seen him in Storybrooke.”

“You shut up. I'm not the one who offered to go find three of the eighteen people for her.”

“I was just being of service. I simply used my special gift to help.”

“What special gift?” Jemma dared to ask.

“I thought Adrianna told you everything,” Clay said.

“She must have forgotten to mention that part,” Jemma added with a fake laugh.

“Gabs can teleport wherever he wants between this world and some parallel world similar to this one but where superheroes don't exist.”

Jemma felt a lump in her throat.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, that's how he got those three people here. Unfortunately for him, the same three escaped.”

“They're talking about Skye, Emma and Neal,” Belle whispered in Jemma's hear.

“I know.”

“What are you two mumbling about?” Joe asked.

“Nothing.”

“You're hiding something from us. What is it?”

He took a gun out of his back pocket and pointed it towards Jemma. 

“Whoa, let's calm down, shall we? We don't want anyone to get hurt.” Jemma said with a squeaky voice.

“We're going to warn the crazy lady about your presence here, I'm sure she would be thrilled to see her friends are both here.”

“I don't... I don't think she'd be pleased to be disturbed.”

“I'm sure she will. Clay, check her pockets to see if she has any weapons. Gabs, do the other!”

Jemma instinctively shielded Belle with her arms.

“Get away from us!” Jemma warned.

“What are you're going to do us? No offense, but you don't look very strong and she's... pregnant?”

“Excellent deduction, aren’t you a modern day Sherlock Holmes,” Jemma said sarcastically.

“We've said we wouldn't harm babies!” Gabs said. “We should just let them go.”

“We never agreed on that. It's not even born yet, so it's no big deal.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Gabs protested. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the exit.” 

“I'm starting to think Ed wasn't the one to help those two girls.”

“Are you saying that I was? I'm the most loyal person here.”

Jemma knew that was a lie, she was convinced that Gabs was the person who helped Emma and Skye flee. She was really scared at this right moment and was trying her best not to show it, but she suddenly had a crazy idea. She wasn’t certain that it would work at all but it was worth the risk. 

“Alright, we haven't exactly told you the truth. The thing is you are all in big trouble because I am...” Jemma took a deep breathe. “... an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

The guy with the ponytail laughed like a pig.

“S.H.I.E.L.D? It doesn't exist anymore! Try something else.”

“Have you been living under this rock all this time? S.H.I.E.L.D. is back to its glory days, well technically not totally because there's still some hydra fanatics out there. What would the Black Widow say if she knew you were accomplices in the abduction of eighteen people? Let me tell you now she would kick your poor arses!”

“Black Widow is so useless,” Gabs said.

“What are you up to Gabs? First you diss on Cap and then say that about Natasha freaking Romanoff. Find your chill,” Clay declared.

“Your friend is right,” Jemma added. “Superheroes have been protecting the city for years now, you should be more grateful.”

“I don't believe in superheroes. They're fiction just like fairytales.”

Belle coughed loudly.

“Are you okay?” one of the guys asked.

“I'm fine. I just need some air.”

“So now that you know who we really are, you have two solutions. Either I report you all to S.H.I.E.L.D. or you help us find what we want.”

“And what do you want?”

“We want you to take us to Adrianna's personal room, where she keeps all her stuff.”

“How would we know where it is? We barely get out of here.”

“I do,” Gabs revealed. “I know where her room is. I can lead you there.”

“Why am I not surprised, Gabs. You really are her pet,” Clay said, rolling his eyes.

“Shut up, Clay!” Gabs repeated.

“When can you do that?” Jemma asked.

“Right now, but you have to promise to not tell anyone what you are about to see and to never come back here. If she ever finds out I told you all of that, I'm dead. We're all dead.”

“We promise,” Jemma lied, knowing she would tell everything to the rest of the team at her return to the bus.

“Okay, let's go, follow me.”

They walked across the private lounge and stopped in front of the large cupboard. Gabs put his hand in the middle of the central door and the piece of furniture spun around, revealing an long hall lit up by candles on the ceiling. They kept moving before arriving in an old elevator. Gabs pressed the button and the doors open in a grinding noise.

“After you.”

They took place in the booth that was so narrow it could barely fit the three of them. Gabs dialed 3-6-8-3 on number pad.

“3-6-8-3?” Jemma asked.

“D-O-V-E,” Belle deduced.

“Well done,” Gabs said. “I'll admit it was not a very smart move of her to put that as her secret password since we all know about the Dove Theory.”

The elevator began moving down deeper and deeper in the ground.

“Gabs, can I ask you something?” Belle asked cautiously.

“Yes and please, call me Gabriel, I can't stand being called Gabs anymore.”

“Okay, Gabriel. Was that you who helped Emma and Skye?”

“Of course.”

“But why?”

“Because when she told us her plan, I knew I had to protect the two people from the two worlds I was from: here and the Land without magic,” Gabriel explained.

“How can you be from both worlds at the same time?” Belle asked.

“I'm still trying to figure it out myself. I want that crazy lady to fail so I have to play by her rules. I've been here for over a year… I miss my home… I miss my daughter...”

“You have a daughter? How old is she?” Belle asked, her hand instinctively reaching out to touch Gabriel’s shoulder.

“She's three. Why did you think I reacted like that when I saw you were pregnant? Oh by the way, I know fairytales are real, Belle.”

“But why did you say you didn't believe in them earlier?”

“Because I have to seem as clueless as the rest of them and also I've experienced things that they have no idea about. They have all ended up here to prove themselves they're good at something, I'm not.”

“Why are you here then?”

“It's a long story. We've arrived.”

The doors opened again on a room which looked rather empty.

“Are you sure it's the right place?”

“Definitely. I don't know if you’ll find much here but that's her secret room. Good luck!”

“Wait, you're not coming with us?”

“I can't. I have to distract the crazy lady in case she comes back sooner. One last thing, you'll find an exit door hidden in the right wall.”

They entered the room that was completely empty: no furniture, no window, and no decorations. Nothing but the outline of a giant dove on the main wall. Jemma got closer and noticed the outline was made out of boxes placed inside the wall, a red light emanated from most of them. She took one in the wing part of the dove and opened it. She dropped the box on the floor as soon as she saw what it contained. It was a glowing heart.

“Belle, look!” Jemma screamed.

“Oh no,” Belle said when she saw the heart.

“Tell me this is not a real heart.”

“I could, but I try not to lie.”

“Oh my goodness this is awful! She killed all those people. This woman is so heartless… no pun intended.”

“They're alive.”

“What? But it's scientifically possible.”

“This is not about science, it's about magic. Dark magic and we have to do something before it is too late.”

Jemma counted the number of boxes in the wall: there were exactly eighteen and that's when she suddenly realized what Belle meant. There were three boxes in the wall that were still empty, there were three left hearts to collect: Neal's, Emma's and Skye's.

 


	5. A Drop in the Ocean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't updated in months I'm really sorry but here are two new chapters.

Regina was still wondering what she was doing here. She had been in this world for a week and nothing slighty interesting had happened. This was supposed to be a world filled with superheroes but where were they? She hadn't see any of them. She hadn't seen anything at all. The only people she had met were just agents, granted they were agents working for a special spy organization, but only that was not worth her time. Regina washed up her face and looked in the mirror: she saw a tired woman who looked like she was missing something or someone. She was exactly aware who it was but the past was in the past and there was nothing she could do to change what happened. After brushing her teeth and putting her make-up on, she came down where the rest of the group was waiting for her. A part of them were going to go in town to find a portal back to Storybrooke. She had no idea if they had a plan or not but this was a case of emergency because she wasn't feeling quite well here. At ten in the morning, they got out of the bus and Regina saw that two cars were waiting for them.

“Alright, listen up everybody.” Coulson claimed to attract the people's attention. “After a week of research, and thanks to most of you, we have discovered two possible portals. I said possible because for now both of them are just theories. Two portals means we have to divide into two groups: Skye, May and Charming, you'll go with me and Hook, Emma, Fitz and Regina, you guys go together.”

“I wanna go with Emma.” Skye said.

“I'm not sure it's a good idea, Skye.” Coulson noticed.

“I don't mind switching.” Regina said. “Two from our world and two from yours in each group would be better.”

“Okay that's fair.”

“That's almost the group of the young and the group of the old”. Fitz joked.

“We're all younger than the pirate.” Regina pointed.

“Now that the groups are settled. Here are the instructions: Emma you'll be responsible of your group, here take the plan. If you guys have any trouble, call us or the Bus.”

Emma, Hook, Skye and Fitz got in the first car and drove away.

“Where are we going?” Regina asked.

“That's a surprise. May you're driving?”

Without a word, May caught the keys Coulson threw to her and got in the other car, followed by the others. Coulson let Regina sit on the front seat, next to Melinda.

“I still can't believe, I'm in the same car as Prince Charming and the Evil Queen.” Coulson exclaimed. “It's unbelievable, isn't it May?”

May stayed silent.

“I'd like to not be called like that anymore.” Regina precised. “I've changed.”

“She has.” Charming confirmed.

“My apologies, Regina.”

“Have you ever met the Avengers?” Regina asked to change the topic.

“I have.” Coulson said. “They're realling awesome. Especially Captain America.”

“He watched him while he was asleeping.” Melinda said with a smirk.

“Did he?” Charming questionned, starting to laugh.

“You would've done the same thing if you had met a living legend too. Well technically you both are living legends, but still Cap is different, Cap is unique.”

“I think he's in love with me.” May whispered to Regina's ear which made her laugh. Regina hadn't laugh like that in a really long time.

“I hope Emma's okay.” Charming said.

“I hope Skye is too.” Coulson added.

“She seems like a great kid.” Charming explained. “Her parents must be proud.”

Regina took a look at Coulson and she could swear he was offended at this right moment.

“Skye's parents are... Well, they're not good people. I mean her mother was, I think, but she died when she was just a baby and her father, well, her father is not... He's not right.”

“Oh, I'm so sorry. At least she has you guys.” Charming said.

This made Coulson and May smile.

“We're the ones who should be lucky to have her.” May said.

“You're almost like a family.” Charming added. “I mean you're already a couple...”

“WE'RE NOT A COUPLE.” May and Coulson protested.

“Right.”

“We're here.”

The car stopped and they all got out of it. Outside the air smelled like salt and the wind was howling with strenght. Regina almost stepped on a group of seagulls. She looked around her and saw a shipyard behind her but the rest was just water. A vast ocean extended for as far as the eye could see. She realized that they were on a dock.

“So this is your portal? The ocean?”

“Yes.” Coulson said. “Belle told me mermaids have the abilities to swim between every realm.”

“Mermaids can, not humans and unless I miss something, we're not mermaids.” Regina pointed out.

“I'm not finished. Wait here.”

Coulson went back to the car, opened the trunk and took a plastic bag.

“Here's how we're going to become mermen and mermaids.” He explained, showing the four diving suits inside the bag.

Regina, May and Charming all laughed.

“Tell me you're not serious.” Regina said.

“I am totally serious. Those suits are not simple suits. Fitz and Mack were able to incorporate the technology of the phone Emma used to reach you even though Charming were in different worlds. So, now the suits work like GPS to portals to other realms. The only problem is that we don't know what those portals look like, if they're blocked or whatever. I'll admit it would be easier if we had mermaids with us.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“I agree with Regina, it's so far fetched, it can't possibly work.” May said.

“I mean. Even if we do find those portals, I'm almost sure we're gonna need mermaid magic to pass through them, which none of us have and you expect all of us to go back to Storybrooke by pretending to be creatures of the sea? Did you forget we have a pregnant woman and a baby among us?”

“Not all of you. Just three, the others will go back through Jefferson's hat as planned.”

“I think this could be a good idea. Let's try and see what we find.” Charming said.

Regina rolled her eyes.

“You gotta be kidding me. It's out of the question I'm not doing that!” Regina protested.

“Why don't Charming and I go under water together and you'll stay on the dock with May, do the lookout?”

“That's fine with me.” May approved.

“I guess that's the only way.” Regina said. “You boys have fun seeking for nothing.”

Charming and Coulson began taking their clothes off and Regina caught May checking Coulson out. Seeing men topless reminded Regina of Robin. She was missing him, his muscular body, his sweet kisses, his presence on the other side of the bed in the morning. She was missing it all. She wondered what he was doing at this moment. Was he happy with Marian and Roland? Was he thinking of her as much as she did him?

“Ready to go!” Coulson claimed, now wearing his diving suit.

Regina and May watched Coulson and Charming dive into the ocean.

“What do we do now?”

“We wait.”

May took her shoes off, refolded the bottom of her pants, sat down on the edge of the dock and put her foot in the water. Regina imitated her.

“So, you're Henry's mother too?” May asked.

“I am.” Regina responded, a smile on her face.

“That mustn't be easy everyday.”

“When Emma first came into Henry's life, it was very complicated. I didn't want him to run away with her and leave me alone. He was the only important person in my life back then. I was afraid of being left behind, you know. I was selfish but I own my mistakes now. He's never been happier than now that he has his two mothers.”

“Have you ever thought about having biological children?”

“I did many times. First with Daniel, my first love. I met him a long time ago, back in the Enchanted Forest, before I turned...”

“Evil?”

Regina noded.

“... and I imagined running away from my mother and raising a family with him but then horrible things happened and I lost all hope. Everything changed, I changed until the day I met Robin.”

“Wait, Robin Hood?”

“His reputation proceeds him.”

“But isn't Robin Hood supposed to be in love with maid Marian?”

“Unfortunately yes and that's the tragedy of my life. Robin and I will never be a family and I just have to move on.”

“I'm so sorry.”

“Don't be. Let's talk about you, I'm surprised you're not a mother yet.”

“That's because of SHIELD. I've been an agent for almost all my life and I've never had time to properly raise a family. Though I have a family somehow, my team. I love them so much you know, despite me never saying enough, I do.”

“Blood doesn't make family, trust me, I know by experience.”

Regina looked at the ocean when suddenly she saw something at the horizon. Could Coulson and Charming already be back? At first, she thought it was just a big wave, but the form was getting bigger and bigger, and closer and closer to them. Melinda and May stood up quicly as the form was now a few feet from them.

“What the hell is that?”

Regina stared at the form in the water and realized it was shaped as a tall and muscular man. A massive leg made totally of water came out of the ocean and landed on the dock which quaked under the pressure of the feet against it. The man of water was now standing right in front of Melinda and Regina who noticed that he was progressively coming back to his human form. He was wearing a wet crewman outfit but his hair was strangely dry.

“What do we know?”

“Run!” May yelled.

“But Coulson and Charming are still under there.”

“They'll be fine!”

However, Regina had just had time to start running that she felt a huge sensation of icy water around her neck and her whole body began quitting the ground. The ocean man had uplifted her in the air with his hand of water and she was suffocating, her neck trapped under his tricep.

“Let go of me you water monster! MELINDA! HELP ME!” Regina screamed, fearing for her life.

“Try to use your magic, I'm gonna try to find some weapon in the car!”

Regina threw some fireballs to the water man but in vain just because they were made of fire and he was made of water. She attempted to free herself from his grip but he was clenching so hard she could barely breathe, less think. She tried to get it together. She couldn't die like that. May was back with a huge gun pointed at the man of water.

“I'm not sure this is going to affect him.” Regina shouted.

“Let her down, Bench!” May screamed towards the man.

“Never, you people did this to me! You have to pay!”

“We didn't do anything!”

“How do you know his name?” Regina asked, out of breathe.

“This is Morris Bench, also known as Hydro-Man, an ex-crewman who is able to turn his whole body into water. SHIELD's been looking for him for a few weeks now.”

“And you know how to defeat him?!”

“Yes, just do as I say. Try to break his grip with your mind, okay let's go!”

What May just asked Regina was almost impossible but all of sudden, the water around her neck became way colder and more solid like ice. She looked down and saw that really cold air was blowing out of May's gun and she gathered all of her strenght and broke free from the hands, now made of ice. She collapsed on the floor as Hydro-Man returned in the water, screaming of pain.

“Are you okay?” May asked, looking worried, helping Regina to get up.

“I'm fine. Let's get out of here before he comes back.”

Regina and May jumped in the car and pressed the accelerator. They drove a winding and bumpy road, then through a thick forest with high trees and when they thought they were far enough from Hydro-Man, stopped. They were just a few feet from the edge of a coast overhanging the ocean.

“I'm gonna try to call Coulson to tell him we're there.”

“Does it happen a lot those kinds of thing? I mean I almost got killed by a human wave!”

“It happens pretty regularly, I mean that's why SHIELD exists, we try to protect the citizens from such threads when the Avengers cannot.”

“And what cause that man from turning into water? Magic?”

“No it was definitely not magic. Some scientific stuff must have happened to him, chemical reactions and all that.”

“I'm starving, do you have anything to eat?”

“Check the glove compartment.”

Regina found a packet of chips way passed the use-by date, chlorophyll gums and a melted chocolate bar.

“Sorry.” May said seeing Regina's desperate expression. Then, her phone rang. “Oh, it's Coulson, I'm gonna go outside to take the call, if you don't mind.”

“No, go ahead.”

May got out of the car and Regina was left alone. Suddenly, she heard a strange noise and immediately turned up her head and saw a big bump in the roof of car, just like someone had punched it.

“What the...”

She looked by the window and saw that the car was encircled by a huge loop of water. She looked back by the rear windshield and stared at Hydro-Man who had apparently found them again. Before she had even time to yell, the car got uplifted and projected into the air before droping in the ocean with a splash. Regina attempted to undo her seatbelt but she was under the sea and it seemed impossible. The salty water began to fill her mouth and she kicked all her strength off to free herself but there was nothing she could do. She was trapped in the ocean, out of breathe, feeling like her brain was about to explode. Her vision was blurry, she saw the silhouette of a colorful fish passing by and then she blacked out.

 

“Regina, hey Regina, wake up.”

She knew this voice. She could distinguish among millions but it was impossible, not now. That was probably the fruit of her imagination or she was dead. She was probably dead. She wondered how Henry and the others would react. No she couldn't be dead, she was too young for that. She opened her eyes and was blinded by the sunlight. She was laying on a white-sand beach and noticed she was wearing a bikini. Next to her on a plate were put two cocktail glasses filled with some orange-colored juice. The ocean was no longer pale blue but aqua blue, like the water that flows in the tropics.

“Here drink this.” The man said handing her one of the drinks.

“Robin, what... what are you doing here? What's going on? Where are we?”

“Relax. I don't know where we are but it does like nice, doesn't it?”

“But I don't understand. I was drowning in the water and then... Robin, am I dead?”

“If you were, would I be here too?”

“I don't know. Maybe. I haven't seen you in such a long time. I have missed you so mu...” She tried to touch his face but it was like catching smoke with bare hands.

“You're not real.”

“Of course, I'm not. This is all in your mind.”

“But it feels so real and so good. I don't wanna leave you, Robin. Please stay with me.”

“I can't and it wouldn't be right.”

“Tell me something, are you happy with Marian?”

“How would I know I'm not the real Robin. Regina, you gotta wake up now.”

“But... I am.”

Regina was aware she wasn't. But she wasn't aware of what she would wake up to if she did. This was feeling like paradise. Wasn't it all she had ever dreamt off? Being alone on a splendid beach with the love of her life? Henry would be so happy for her. Henry! What would he say if he knew she was dead? She couldn't do that to him. She had to wake up now.

“Regina, wake up! Wake up!”

This was not Robin's voice. It was a voice she had never heard before. She opened her eyes again and saw something blurry red and gold floating in the sky. Then she heard the horns of the car underneath her and the smell of polution. Her hair and her whole body were wet and she was not wearing shoes. She felt a bruise on her neck and she was... flying.

“Are you okay, ma'am?”

“Who the hell are you? Let me go!”

“Iron Man at your service and if I do that, you're gonna collapse of the ground and smashed into pieces, is that what you want?”

“No, of course not. Wait you're Iron Man, _the_ Iron Man? Tony Spark?”

“Stark. And yes that's me.”

“How did you find me?”

“Coulson warned me. May was so worried when she wasn't able to find the car so she called Coulson.”

“Did you get to stop the beast who did this to me? Aquaman or whatever.”

“Hydro-Man. Not yet, but we're on it.”

“When are you taking me?”

“Somewhere safe. You should close your eyes.”

Suddenly, Iron Man sped up and Regina felt like she was a rocket being impelled into higher in the sky. She was starting to get sick but she was not in a good situation to puke. She felt dizzy and her vision got blurry. She blacked out again.

 

When she woke up again, she was in a warm bed and a delicious breakfast on a tray was waiting to be eaten. She took a bite of the croissant and drank a bit of coffee. She had no idea where she was but all that matters if that she was alive. She heard someone heard the room.

“Snow... What are you doing here?”

Snow laughed. She still had the same smile as she did as little child when Regina and she first met.

“I came to pay you a visit.”

“But how do you know I was here and where are we?”

“They call it the Avengers Tower. I guess that's like the headquarters of superheroes. Mr Stark was kind enough to let us all come here because honestly the Bus was getting to get too small.” Snow explained.

“Why do they call it like that by the way? It's a plane!”

They both laughed their lungs off. She was feeling very comfortable at this right moment and she was glad she did not die drowning.

“I bet Henry's really happy to meet his favorite superheroes.”

“Actually we haven't met any of them yet and...”

Snow looked wistful, almost sad.

“Snow, is there any thing wrong?”

“It's Emma and the rest of group. They still aren't back.”

“Why do you mean still? How long have I been asleep?”

“A whole day.”

“Oh my. I'm sorry. Do we know where they went?”

“Yes but impossible to find them. Also Jemma and Belle foud out something important. They were waiting for you to announce it. Charming and Coulson did as well.”

“Let me get ready, I'll be here in a minute.”

As Snow left the room, Regina got up and found fresh washed up clothes on a chair. After getting dressed up, she came out of the room too and walk along the hall and entered an elevator which automically went down without the need of pressing a button. She arrived in a huge room where everybody else was already was. Coulson, Charming, Belle and Jemma were standing in the center, surrounded by the others sitting on couches. Regina sat down next to Henry who seemed very glad his mother was alive but also very sad not knowing where was his other mother.

“Now that Regina's here, we can begin our first official meeting. Good news, first, Bruce and Tony nicely accepted to work on a device who will allow us to stop Hydro-Man once and for all. Then the bad news. Charming and I's little submarine excursion unfortunately led to nothing. We were not able to find any entrace to possible portals so playing mermaids was useless, I have to say. I believe Jemma and Belle have something to tell us next.”

“Thanks sir.” Jemma said. Her eyes was red and Regina was convinced it was due to the fact her two best friends (or was the boy her boyfriend?) were missing. “So Belle and I went on our own investigation and we discovered what the crazy lady wants from Emma, Skye and Belle. She wants their hearts.”

Snow looked horrified and started crying into Regina's arms.

“But of course, we are going to do our best to not let this happen ever. I think it would be also fair and right to look for the fifteen others and put their hearts back into their chests, if that is possible of course.” Jemma told.

“It is.” Regina affirmed.

“Thank you, Jemma.” Coulson continued. “The last thing, as everyone's probably aware, Skye, Fitz, Hook and Emma have not returned yet and we have no idea where they are. But don't lose hope, we're going to find them, I promise. Any questions?”

The dark-haired boy whose name Regina had forgotten raised his hand.

“Yes, Ward?”

“Sir, if I may, I'd like to be the one to find Skye and the others.”

“I guess you can. You'll come with May, Charming and me.”

“No sir. I mean I want to do it alone.”

“I don't think that's a good idea...”

“Agent Coulson?” A voice said.

Regina looked back and saw a blond woman wearing white had entered the room.

“Yes, Pepper?”

“There's someone waiting for you in the hall.”

“Who?”

“I've never seen him before but he keeps repeating he needs to see you. He said his name was Peter, Peter Parker.”


	6. Spidey Senses

Grant raised his hand. It was now or never. He had been waiting for this kind of opportunity for too long now and he had to take the chance. How did the team expect him to show them he had truly changed if they were constantly saying no to him. This was the perfect occasion for him to prove them wrong, to prove them Hydra had been the biggest mistake of his entire life and that he was loyal to SHIELD now more than ever.

“Yes, Ward?” Coulson said.

“Sir, if I may, I'd like to be the one to find Skye and the others.”

“I guess you can. You'll come with May, Charming and me.”

“No sir. I mean I want to do it alone.”

“I don't think that's a good idea...”

At this moment, Pepper Potts entered the room and went talking to Coulson. Something about a guy named Peter Parker wo was waiting for Coulson in the hall.

“Peter Parker as in Spider-man?” Henry exclaimed who overheard them.

“Who's Spider-Man?” Jemma asked.

Henry looked very much confused..

"The meeting is over for now. We'll see About details later."

As soon as Coulson left the room, Grant immediately got up and followed him. He was determined to be the one who would find Skye and the others. In the hall, Peter Parker was waiting. He was of average height, brown hair, about seventeen year old judging by the way he looked. His glasses seemed to be broken and he was playing with a pen.

"Sir, I gotta talk to you..." Grant started.

"Not now, Ward. Can't you see I'm busy with that boy?" Coulson said.

"Oh sorry." Grant, who wanted to appear the most polite possible, replied. "I'm gonna go and wait in the other room."

Grant walked out of the hall but instead of doing what he had just said, he hid in a closet so he could hear the conversation between Coulson and Peter.

"So, what can I do for you, kid?" Coulson asked.

"I've come to warn you that I've witnessed two agents of SHIELD disappear before my eyes a couple yesterday." Peter explained.

"How do you know they were of SHIELD?"

"I heard them talk. One of them has a really strong british accent."

"Those agents, were they alone?"

"No, sir, they were with a blonde woman and a guy all dressed in leather."

Grant could not believe it. This teenager was stealing his moment of glory.

"Peter, can you tell me what happened exactly?"

"I can't but I can show you."

He opened his backpack and took out a large envelope.

"What is that?"

"Photos of what happened. I managed to take some pics."

Coulson tried to take the envelope but Peter was holding them tight in his hand.

"No, I can't give them for free. I'm sorry. I'm willing to sell them to you."

"Sell? You want money?"

"That's right, sir."

"How much?"

"One hundred bucks."

"I'm sorry but I can't spend that much for photos and maybe this is just a trick. I'll find another way to find the rest of the group. Have a nice day, kid."

Grant waited for Coulson to leave, then rush out of the closet to catch on Peter but when he got in the streets of New York City, Peter was nowhere to be seen. He went back to his room, which he shared with Fitz and googled Peter's name in hope to find where he lived. If Coulson didn't want to spend money to find the others, he absolutely would; He wished Skye was there because she was the computer expert. But if she were there, he wouldn't need to do that in the first place. He found a bunch of boys named Peter Parker in the register but one was stood out from the others because both his parents were listed as ex-agents of SHIELD. That could not be a coincidence.

 

The same afternoon, Ward went to Midtown High School where Parker was a student to, hopefully, be able to have a talk with him. He did not find him either in the library, or in the cafeteria or in the science labs. In an almost empty class, almost because there was a girl with hair as red as fire was sitting in the front row busy reading something. Grant coughed to make his presence noticed.

“Excuse me, miss?”

“Can I do something for you?” She asked as she got up from her seat.

“Agent Ward with SHIELD.” Grant said while showing his badge. “I would like to know if you know someone called Peter Parker.”

“Peter? Of course, I know him. He's my neighbor!.”

“Is he really?”

“Yes. I'm Mary Jane Watson by the way. But everyone call me just MJ.”

“Miss Watson, have you seen Mr Parker lately?”

“Now that I think about it, not as much as usual, which is very weird coming from him.”

“Weird? Why?”

“Because Peter is kinda a nerd. He practically never misses classes.”

“Do you know where I can find him?”

“If he's not at home, maybe try the Daily Buggle. I heard Peter's been trying to sell them his photographs. His aunt and uncle are having trouble making ends meets so he's doing his best to help them.”

“Thank you so much, Miss Watson.”

“You're welcome and now if you don't mind, I'm gonna revise my part. I've got an important audition tonight.”

Grant arrived at the Daily Buggle twenty minutes later. The halls were full of journalists coming and going who didn't seem to stop screaming ever. He went directly to the receptionist, a woman with short dark hair.

“Hello. My name's Grant Ward, do you know where I can find a certain Peter Parker?”

“Oh, you're looking for Peter? I believe he's in Mr Jameson's office right now...”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” A strong male voice yelled. “THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE SHIT. DON'T EVER COME DISTURBING AGAIN.”

“This is Mr Jameson.”

Grant turned back and noticed that a man had walked into the hall. He had a thick mustache and a brush cut. A young teenager was with him and Grant immediately recognized Peter.

“Mr Jameson, please, I need this job. I can take other photos!”

“I don't care. You had your chance! Maybe if you could give me some scoop about what Captain America and his super friends are doing, I'll reconsider. But for now, get out of my sight!”

Grant took advantage of James going back to his office to approach Peter.

“Mr Parker, do you have a moment?”

“Do I know... Wait, I remember you, you're from SHIELD.”

“Yes I am. But can you keep it down please?”

“Did Agent Coulson send you?”

“No, he doesn't know that I'm here.”

“In this case, I'd like to go now. I got homeworks to do.”

“Mr Parker, wait! I'm ready to buy your photos.”

Peter looked very interested all of sudden.

“Really?”

“Really. Let's meet in a hour at the café down the road.

 

“You want anything to drink?” Grant asked, trying to be as nice as possible.

“No thanks, I'm good.” Peter replied.

“So, did you bring the photos?”

Peter put the big envelope on the table.

“Can I saw them?”

“Money, first.”

“Do you swear those pictures contain exactly what you said they did?”

“Well, I don't know if we're talking about the same people, but I didn't lie about anything.”

Grant took something out of his pocket. It was the first picture Skye, Fitz, Simmons and he had taken together but now it was all damaged and a little torn apart.

“Were these two the ones you saw?” Grant asked, his finger pointed on Skye and Fitz.

“Yes that's them.”

“In that case, I'm ready to pay the prine. One hundred dollars, right?”

“Actually, let's make it One and fifty.”

This kid was really good at making deals or really bad. Grant did not what to do or what to think but he knew that he needed the photos if he wanted to be truly forgiven.

“I give you the initial price and if I manage to find my friends, you'll get fifty more, deal?”

“Guess that's fair.”

Grant took a few bills in his wallet and put them next to the envelope.

“Nice, thanks Agent Ward!” Peter exclaimed as he was about to leave the café.

“Oh, oh. You stay here!”

Peter immediately sat back down.

“I have to check whether or not those pics are legit and who said I was done with you?”

Grant opened the envelope. Inside there was four differents shots. The first one showed Fitz in the middle of a desert, crouching looking at something and the other three standing besides him. On the second one, they were all standing in a perfect cercle which center was where Fitz was in the first photo. The third picture was exactly the same as the second one except a huge beam of light was now in the middle. Finally, on the last one, Fitz, Emma and Skye were gone and Hook was just next to the beam of light.

“Those are very useful, actually. Coulson did a mistake by not buying them. Did you hear anything they were saying?”

“No sir.”

“It's alright. Can you give me your phone number so I know how to reach you, just in case.”

Grant gave a Peter a piece of paper to write his number on.

“Can I go now?”

“Yes. I'll call you if I need you.”

 

When Grant went back to the Avengers tower, the only people he found were Jemma and Belle. They were looking at a bunch of magazines about babies disposed on the table.

“Hey guys.” Grant said.

Jemma raised up her head.

“Ward, what do you want?”

“I've just come to check how you guys are holding on.”

“Like you care.”

“I do care, Jemma. I'm worried for Skye, and for Fitz.”

“That was not my impression when you throw us into the ocean.” Jemma protested.

“Are you serious?” Belle asked.

“Very.”

“I already told you that I was sorry.” Ward added. “Jemma, please hear me out.”

Jemma paused. She was looking thoughtful and Ward could not tell whether she was about to strangle him or come running in his arms.

“Fine.”

“Okay, I need you guys to help me find the others.”

“Coulson and the others are already on it.”

“And you're okay with that? Are you just gonna sit there and wait? Who said they're gonna find them?”

“Because I trust Coulson and I trust May and you should do too.”

“I do trust them but I just think I, that we should show them what we're capable of. Skye and Fitz are our friends. Emma and Hook are Belle's.”

“Well, that's not totally true...”

“Anyway, my point is together we have as much chance at finding them as they do, maybe more.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because I have clues that they don't have.” Grant explained giving Peter's photos to Jemma.

“Where did you get those?” Jemma asked while looking at the pictures.

“I've got my sources. Do you recognize what's happening on them?”

“I do not. I've never seen such a thing.”

“Can I see them?” Belle asked.

“Of course.”

Jemma handed the pictures to Belle who examined them carefully for a while.

“They've obviously gone through a portal.” She said.

“How can you know that?” Ward questioned.

“It's simple. If you put the pictures in order, you can clearly see that the light at the middle is a portal and that they went through it one by one.”

“A portal does make sense.” Jemma claimed. “I mean, that's the reason why they went there in the first place. Searching for a portal so that Belle and the others can go back home.”

“So you're saying they've managed to get home?” Ward asked.

“Impossible to tell. David tried to call Emma with Fitz's device but no one answered.”

“They could be in any world, really.” Belle confirmed.

“Then we have to find out what world it is.”

“Yes but how are we going to do that?”

“We're gonna go when the accident happened and find more evidence. Are you guys with me?”

“It's too dangerous.”

“Jemma, c'mon. Nothing's gonna happen to us. Not as long we have each other. This is our chance to prove what we are really worth.”

“Alright, I'll go get my stuff. Belle, are you coming with us?”

“I don't know.”

“Why not? We need you Belle.”

Belle looked all excited at the idea of being part in their own private investigation.

“Coming then!”

 

Half a hour later, Grant, Belle and Jemma arrived at the site where was situated the portal. It was a wide plain desert in the middle of nowhere. The sun was shining bright and the weather was very opressive. Grant thought seeing a fox passing by.

“Okay, let's get to work. We have to review every single each of this plot. Don't let any thing out.”

Grant decided to start from the edge, while Jemma and Belle did the center and sides. Working under this heat was almost impossible and Ward regretted to not have brought water bottles with them. He started sweating and took off his jacket. Soon, he noticed that countless spots, forming a circle, were as equal distant of one another. He squatted to look closer and remarked that each spot had its own number. He searched for the number one, then two and realized that the spots were not placed in the right order.

“Hey Jemma, do we have any wire?”

“In the car.”

Grant found a spool of red wire in the trunk and began joining every spot in numerical order.

“Jemma, excuse me, can you get out the way?”

“Ward, what are you doing?”

“You'll see soon enough.”

Grant continued to uncoil the wire through the field until he reached the last spot with the number twelve. A strange shaped has now been drawned on the ground.

“Jemma, do you have one of these flying bot that can take pictures from above?”

“Yes. Let me go grab it.”

Jemma walked towards the car, then came back with a small and round device.

“Usually, Fitz's the one who handles that kind of thing.”

“But do you know how to use it?”

“Most certainly.”

She pressed a few buttons and the bot then rose up in the sky before placing above the form made of red wire.

“We should be able to see what the form looks like now on my laptop.” Jemma explained while opening her computer.

Grant and Belle got closer to the screen and stared at the images taken by bot. The form was not quite clear. It was like two double-you-s interlaced but if you revolved the picture upside down, it seemed to be two pointed hats.

“I've never seen something like this.” Jemma admitted. “Belle, do you recognize that form?”

“Not really, I'm sorry.”

“It's okay. I'm gonna try to do an image research to see if I can find any match.”

Alas, Jemma didn't manage to find anything. Grant started to highly doubt the form would help find the others at all. Suddenly, he had the idea to take a longer look at Peter's pictures and tried to reproduce what the others had done. He first walked to the center and at his great surprise, he found another spot burried in the sand. The number eight was written on it and after looking at Peter's pictures, once again, he finally understood what he had to do. He took back the red wire, then he dragged every spot from the number nine to twelve off the ground until only the first eight one remained. Unfortunately nothing happened. It was getting hotter and hotter and the heat was so intense it was impossible to think the whole situation through. Grant heard the thunder roled and a driving rain started pouring on them.

“Quick, let's go back in the car.” Grant screamed.

They rushed into the car, already swamped. It was heavily raining and the drops were hammering the car windows. Jemma took a thermostat out her bag as well as three cups and poured hot coffee into each one.

“So what do we do?” Jemma asked after a moment. “Do we just stay here doing nothing?”

“No. I have feeling this Peter Parker lied to me when he told me he didn't see anything.” Grand said. “.Let's go pay him a visit.”

The Parkers lived in Forest Hill, in central Queens. It had stopped raining when Grant knocked at the door of their house. A old woman appeared on the front. She had white grey hair and was wearing a cooking apron above her lilac dress.

“Good evening. May I help you?”

“Good evening. Are you Mrs Parker?” Grant asked.

“That would be me.”

“Mrs Parker, my name's Agent Ward and this Agent Simmons and our friend Belle. Mrs Parker, is your nephew here?”

“Peter? Of course, he's in the living room with his best friend Harry.”

“We need to talk to him.”

“Then come in!”

Grant, Jemma and Belle walked in. A man standing up on a chair was busy fixing the lightbulb on the ceiling.

“This is my husband, Ben.” Mrs Parker introduced. “Peter is there.” She added directing them to the next room. Grant recognized Peter sitting on the couch, a mathematics book on his lap and a playstation remote cotnrol on the other. Another guy was sitting next to him and unlike Peter, he was fully concentrating on the videogames he was playing.

“Peter darling, those people would like to talk to you.”

Peter looked up.

“Agent Ward, what are you doing here?”

“I need your help once more.”

“I've already told you everything I know, I'm sorry.”

“Is everything okay, Peter?” Harry asked, concerned.

“Yes. Agent Ward and his colleague are leaving now.”

“Now we're not. Peter, listen, this is really important.” Jemma explained. “People are missing and you are our only help.”

“You know what it's like to lose someone don't you? I mean how old were you when your parents died? Like seven or eight?” Grant added.

“Don't bring my parents into this! You never knew them!”

“Actually we know more about them than you think we did. If you help us, I'll tell you something about them you don't even suspect.”

“Are you being serious right now?”

“I swear on what I love most I am.”

“And and I should just believe you, like that?”

“Yes. I promise I'm not lying. Trust me.”

“Ward, what are you up to?” Jemma whisphered in his ear.

“I'm just telling the truth. Be patient.”

“Alright, I accept. Harry, I'm sorry, but I think you should go home.”

“No big deal.” Harry said putting down the remote controller, getting up and grabbing his backpack on the floor. “See you tomorrow!”

“Harry dear, you're not staying for dinner.” Mrs Parker asked. “I made roasted chicken.”

“No sorry, I gotta go.” Harry replied, leaving the house.

“So what more did you see?” Grant asked.

“I think it's better if I show you.”

 

They drove back to the scene of the events. There, Grant, Belle and Jemma turned on their torchlights to see through the night.

“I didn't really hear everything they were saying but I believe the way to open the portal....”

“How do you know it's a portal?”

“I simply heard them. So I was saying the only way to open the portal is that every person who wants to go through grab a spot, any one, really. Go ahead and take one.”

Grant took the number four while Jemma took the six, Peter the seven and Belle the eleven.

“To open the portal, we need four people because four people went through it in the first place.”

“But, the spot in the center has the number eight on it. That must mean something.”

“Actually, it's an infinity sign. The number don't matter. Okay, let's place in circle. Now, it's very easy we just have to put our spot back in the ground at the same time while whishing, as strong as possible for the portal to open.”

“Are you making all of this up?” Jemma asked, not really conviced.

“Actually, I'm just repeating what the guy with the dirty blonde hair said. Well, are you all ready? At three, you plant the spot right where you stand. Three, two, one, go!”

With all its strenght, Grant stuck his spot in and he felt a huge blow juice in his hand. All of the sudden, a immense beam of light, like the one on Peter's photos appeared in the center.

“We did it!”Jemma exclaimed.

“Not quite yet. We have to go get them now.”

“Don't do that, dude. If you use this portal, you'll be able to come back here with three of your friends.”

“So we just wait here?”

“I'm afraid so. I'm gonna go now. Good luck to you guys and don't forget you promised me something.”

After here left, Grant and the girls stayed here, sitting next to the beam of light, waiting. It was over midnight, when someone finally came out of the light. It was Fitz. His clothers were all dirty and he had a scratch on his face.

“Leo, oh my god!” Jemma said rushing towards him to hug him and kiss every bit of his face. “Are you okay?!”

“I'm fine, Jemma.”

“Fitz, I'm so relieved.” Grant said. He hugged him too and it felt so nice. It was a genuine hug and for the first time in forever, he felt like they were friends again. “Where are Skye and the others?”

“They're coming.”

Indeed, Skye walked out of the light. She was looking as ailing as Fitz. Grant's first instinct was to go and kiss her but his action was interrupted by Emma's arrival. Her state was much more serious than the two others. Her hair was messy and she had a lot of blood on her shirt and her hands, and judging by the color of her eyes, she had been crying.

“Guys, what the hell happened to you. You look like you just fought a war.” Grant asked more than worried. “Where did you end up to and where is Hook?”

“You're never gonna believe us but he's real. It's all real.”

“Skye, I don't understand. What's real?” Jemma asked.

“Harry Potter. The entire world of Harry Potter really exists.”

 

 

 


	7. The Next Great Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killian and the others land in the world of Harry Potter.

**Beyond Here and Overthere** , Chapter Seven: The Next Great Adventure

 

Killian stepped into the light. The first sensation he felt was falling and falling again until he hit the ground hard. He was now laying on the floor, his cheek against the cobblestones burning under the sunlight. He mumbled, stood up and took at look at around him. There were mostly shops aligned on each side of a long alley as well as a huge white wobbly building at the other end of the paved road. Killian looked up in the blue sky and could have sworn seeing a owl flying by.

“Where the bloody hell are we?” He asked.

“I don't know but this place looks familiar.” Emma said.

“Too familiar.” Skye added.

“Are we all thinking the same thing right now?” Fitz added.

“We're in Diagon Alley.” Emma claimed.

“Diagonally?” Killian repeated confused.

“Diagon – Alley.” Skye explained distinctively. “Like in Harry Potter. Don't tell me you don't know Harry freaking Potter.”

“I've heard of him. Ain't he a wizard or something?”

“The greatest wizard that has ever existed.” Fitz said. “I may be a science guy but if there's any form of magic, I definitely think that is Harry Potter's... Oh, if only Jemma was here right now.”

“But hold on, isn't Harry Potter supposed to be fictional?” Skye wondered.

“Honestly, Hook and my family are said to be fictional. You guys are fictional. This doesn't surprise me anymore. I should've guessed.” Emma said.

“Another thing, how where we able to land here? We're muggles and muggles can't go on Diagon Alley.”

“Hermione's parents did it though and they're muggles too.”

“Muggles?” Killian asked clueless to what they were talking about.

“People without magical powers.” Fitz explained.

“But Swan has magic. So technically, she's not a muggle or whatever.”

“Are you saying I'm like... a witch?”

“I think Hook's right.” Skye said. “I mean, your parents don't have any magic yet you do. You're literally muggleborn.”

“Woah. That kind of makes sense. Okay, this is awesome and everything but we need to get back where we come from. Any ideas of how to open a portal?”

Killian stared at each of his companions and realized none of them knew a possible way to return to where the others were. They were trapped into another world. Again.

“Maybe, we should ask for help.”

“Are you insane?” Skye said. “People are gonna notice something's fishy with us. I'm sure there's a spell that can tell you whether someone is from this world or not.”

“Skye! Skye, look.” Emma insisted.

She was now watching at a poster hanging up on the front window of a store where all sorts of potions were apparently sold. On the poster, there was a young girl with big red curly hair smiling, and the caption “Have you seen this witch?” was written under the picture. Killian noticed that the girl in the picture was moving, which was very weird to him. Skye stared at the poster too before saying.

“I know this girl. I have seen here before but where?”

“She was with us when the crazy lady abducted us. That girl who couldn't stop crying, remember?”

“You're right! Now that you said that, I recall the crazy lady saying something like 'Rose from the Wizard World' was with us but I didn't get what she meant.”

“Wait, a redheaded girl named Rose and she's a witch?” Fitz said. “Guys, she's obviously Hermione and Ron's daughter!”

“Who the hell are Hermione and Ron?” Killian asked again.

“You really need to read the books once we get back.” Emma said.

“Great, we just have to find Hermione now.” Skye pointed out.

They look at each other like one of them was about to reveal their brilliant idea on how to find that Hermione girl in a completely unknown world.

“Doesn't Ron technically work here? I mean, with his brother at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?” Skye questioned.

“I thought he was an auror.” Emma replied.

“He was but only for a short amount of time if I remember correctly. Let's just go and see. After, all we have nothing to lose.”

They walked down the alley until they arrived in front of a tall shop made of colorful bricks, stuck into two others buildings less joyful-looking. They entered the shop, which was so jammed that it was almost impossible for them to clear up a way through the crowd. Even though, Killian had never really heard about the world of Harry Potter before, he could not help but be as amazed as the other three were by what he was seeing at this moment. He wanted to try to use every thing put on the shelves and display stands. They kept moving forward before being stopped by a tall man with orange red hair wearing a magenta uniform. Hook remarked that he had a cut on one of his ear.

“You guys look seriously lost, need some help?”

Hook waited for one of the others to answer but then he noticed all of them had their jaws dropped.

“Hello mate, name's Killian, Killian Jones and my friends and I are searching for a boy named Ron, do you, by chance, know where we can find him?”

“Ron, you mean my brother Ronald?”

“Oh, you're his brother, that makes things easier then.”

“This is seriously awe-some.” Skye finally said with a big smile on her face.

“Bloody fantastic.” Fitz added.

“I can't believe it. You're George Weasley. _The_ George Weasley.”

“Most people get this reaction when they meet me.” George responded and Killian wondered whether or not that was irony.

“So you want to meet my brother. What for?”

“I think it's better if we tell you in private.”

“Oh sounds serious. Well then, follow me.”

They went to the backroom.

“I'm listening.”

“You know where your niece is.” Skye explained.

“Rose?! You've seen Rose?” George asked loudly.

“Keep it down please. So yes we have. The woman who abducted her also abducted us so we briefly met her. Luckily, we were able to escape but Rose wasn't.” Emma added.

“So, she's here somewhere? Are you foreigners because I have never seen you here before and you don't sound very English. Well, except for you two.” He claimed pointing to Fitz and Killian.

“Actually, we're from somewhere else but that's more complicated than that and you'd think we're crazy if we told you.” Skye said. “That's why, we need to talk to Ron or Hermione.”

“They're at their house, I can bring you there if you wish.”

“Yes, that would be very kind.”

“But first, you have to swear this isn't a trick to take Hugo or whatsoever.”

“We solemly swear we aren't up to no good.” Emma declared.

“Where the hell did you hear that?”

“Uh... We've read about it. Now can you take us to Hermione and Ron?”

 

After passing by a shabby bar called The Leaky Cauldron, they used a very strange method of transportation to get to where they wanted to go. It was called Apparition. Killian was the last one to be taken by George, after the other three were already arrived at destination. George grabbed his arm when all of sudden, everything went black and he felt opressed in all directions. Finally, they landed on a flower bed of daisies, in front of a nice house. Fitz, Skye and Emma were all already waiting on the frontdoor. Killian noticed another great owl perched on a big red letterbox. George walked towards the house, then knocked the door. A tall man which hair was as red as George came answering the door; Killian was ready to bet that was George's brother. However he was much taller than him, and very anky, with large hands and feet. 

“George, what are you doing here?” Ron asked, holding a little boy in his arms.

“Ron, sorry to interrupt, but these people came here to help. Can we come in?”

“Who are they?” Ron questioned staring at each of them.

“This is Killian, this is... Wait, I don't even know your names.”

“I'm Emma.”

“Skye.”

“Fitz.”

“They're here because they know where Rose is.” George explained.

Ron's facial expression went from suspicious to hopeful.

“Do they really?”

“Yes we do. We've seen her.” Skye said. “Now if you want to know more, you should let us in. We need to talk to Hermione.”

“Right then. Come inside.”

“I've got to go back to the shop. See you later, Ron.” George said before vanishing in the air.

The inside of the Weasleys' house were as nice as the garden. Killian thought the atmosphere was like a mix between modern technology and classic wooden furniture. Near the fireplace, sitting on a couch, there waq a woman with big curly and messy hair. She was busy reading what looked like a newspaper. Ron coughed.

“Honey, we have visitors.”

Hermione raised her head up to look at what was happening, put down her newspaper and got up.

“May I ask who you people are?”

“They know what happened to Rose.” Ron whispered to her ear.

Hermione's face brightened up a little bit.

“Oh my goodness, where is she? Is she okay?”

“We don't really know.” Emma explained, who was trying to hold on her excitement because she was literally talking to Hermione Granger. “Maybe, we can sit and chat.”

“Yes, let's go in the kitchen.”

“I'm going to put Hugo back to bed.” Ron said.

Killian and the others followed Hermione to the kitchen.

“Do you want some tea?” Hermione asked kindly.

“No thanks, we're good. Hermione, I think you should really sit down and hear us out.” Skye declared. “Oh, by the way, is it okay if I call you Hermione? I know we've just met and I feel like I already know everything about you. Also, you look nothing like Emma Watson.”

“Who? And I have to say this is all very confusing.” Hermione said taking a seat.

“Okay, I think it's better if we tell you the truth straight away.” Emma began. “Do you know of fairytales?”

“Fairytales? You mean wizard fairytales like The Wizard and the Hopping Pot or the Foutain of Fair Fortune?”

“No, muggle fairytales, like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty...”

“Oh of course, my parents read it to me as child and I read them to my own children as well. I want them to be proud of their muggle heritage. What about them?”

“Well, I know this is going to sound crazy but they're real.”

Hermione looked even more confused.

“What do you mean real?”

“Real as the opposite of fictional, imaginative. For example, I am the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.”

“That's... that's not possible.”

“Trust me, I had the same exact reaction.” Skye affirmed.

“But they're stories. Books. Fictions!”

“No, we're not.” Emma insisted. “Jefferson was right. Stories are most than just stories. They're history.”

Hermione did not seem really convinced but decided to believe them anyhow.

“Let's pretend what you're saying is true. Who are you all?”

“Captain Hook.” Killian said showing off his hook.

“This is insane, impossible. This is a fake hook, I'm sure. Are you all fairytale characters?”

“Actually, we're not.” Skye said. “Fitz and I are from a world where superheroes exist.”

“Woah, like Superman and Batman?” Hermione asked, slighty impressed.

“Who the hell is that?” Fitz questioned.

“Never heard of them. Now more like Iron Man, the Hulk, Hawkeye...”

“Oh, I see. But what does all of this have to do with Rose?”

“Well, you seen the woman that abducted her also did us. She kidnapped a total of eighteen person and each one of them come from a different universe and Rose is the person she chose from your universe.”

“I still don't quite understand, what do you mean my universe?”

“That's simple. You too are a fictional character. How do you think we know about you and Harry Potter and Hogwarts and everything else? Not because we're from here, but because we read your stories.” Skye explained. “These books are honestly awesome. How are Harry and Ginny by the way? And Luna? I love Luna so much. Although, Harry is my absolute favorite. I have always related to him. He was an orphan destined to do great things. His life was miserable until the day he found Hogwarts. The same thing happened to me with SHIELD.”

“I get what you mean.” Emma said.

“This is crazy, this is just... This is too much. I've always trusted books and now you tell me all of this. I just can't believe it.”

“But you have to believe us. If you want to see your daughter again, you gotta help us. It's not only her life that is in danger, it's all of ours. It's everyone's.” Emma added.

“I understand but I don't know what I can do.”

“You have to help us find a way to open a portal back to where we are from, Back where Rose is. Do you think you would be able to do that?”

“I've never done such a thing in my entire life but I can try.”

“Let's get to work then.”

 

Unfortunately, they didn't manage to find anything. They spent the whole day on Diagon Alley aiming to hopefully get their hands on something that would help them. Hermione had been constantly repeating that she always found a solution to most problems but this time it was different. It was out of her field of expertise, nothing like she had ever dealt with before. After a long day of useless research, they all had dinner at the Leaky Cauldron and Hermione generously offered to pay them rooms to sleep in. When he woke up the tomorrow morning, Killian remarked that Emma was already downstairs where he joined her. She was in the dining room, with Hermione, Skye and Fitz and they all had started their breakfast already.

“'Morning.” He said taking a seat. “Emma, hun, can you give me the butter?”

“So, Hermione, had you had time to think of a new plan?” Fitz asked.

“Actually, I have. We're going to Hogwarts today.”

“NO WAY!” Skye, Emma and Fitz exclaimed in the same voice.

“What's Hogwarts?” Hook asked.

“What's Hogwarts? WHAT'S HOGWARTS?” Skye repeated. “You mean the most fantastic school of wizardry ever. Every kid wants to go to Hogwarts.”

“But hold on, aren't muggles unable to go there?” Emma questioned.

“That's true, but the thing is technically none of you is a muggle. I figured muggle is just a term for people without magic in this world and since you are all from other dimensions, it does not apply to you.”

“And how are we gonna get there? The Hogwarts Express I guess?” Fitz added.

“No, we can't use the train because it's summer and so it's unusable right now. We'll have to take the Knight Bus. I booked some tickets for us in advance. ”

“Oh boy.” Skye whispered.

“Don't worry. It's not as bad as it seems. Just try to not eat too much.”

Killian immediately put down the piece of bread he was about to bite in.

 

“I asked an old friend of mine to come with us today.” Hermione explained as they were waiting for the Knight Bus.

“Oh, really who?”

“That's a surprise. He's really not busy nowadays so he kindly accepted to join us. Oh, the bus is there.”

Indeed, a giant bus had stopped right before him. It was a purple-colored triple-decker. Once their tickets checked by the conductor, they got inside and tried to find good seats. Killian was surprised to notice that the seats didn't seem to be bolted down. The voyage was pretty fast, maybe even too fast, as Killian felt very dizzy when they arrived at destination. They were now in Hogsmeade, a village, apparently very popular in the wizarding world. The three others begged Hermione for a visit in the high street.

“I don't think it's a good idea right now. Remember why we're here.”

“That's too bad.”

“I'm really sorry. We have more important things to do, don't we?”

“You're right. Where do we go now?”

“Don't freak out but where we are really going is the forbidden forest.”

“Oh my god.” Skye exclaimed. “Oh my god, is this really happening?”

“Yes. Everyone is going to be fine though, trust me.”

“But how is the forbbiden forest going to help us?” Emma asked.

“You'll see when we get there. Okay, let's go.”

A man was waiting for them at the edge of the forest but he was looking like no other man. He was about twice as tall as an average man, and three times as wide, with a long mane of shaggy black hair and a beard that covered most of his face. He was also wearing a large overcoat with several pockets.

“Hermione! How are you doing?” The giant man exclaimed.

“Hagrid, it's so nice to see you. Here are my friends, Emma, Skye, Fitz and Hook.”

While the others were too in shock to talk, Killian granted Hagrid.

"Wow mate, are you related to Anton?"

"Who's Anton?" Hagrid asked unsure of what was happening.

"He's a... friend," Emma intervined.

“Alright. So, are you all ready to go?”

“We are. Did you warn them?” Hermione asked.

“I did but as expected, only Firenze accepted to help us.”

“I'm sorry but did you just say Firenze?” Skye questioned.

“Who's Firenze?” Hook added.

“He's a centaur.” Skye explained. “I don't see how he can help us though.”

“You'll see. Also, don't try to say anything offending if we see other centaurs, they wouldn't like it.”

Killian wondered what could centaurs possibly find offending as they penetrated into the Forbidden Forest. He immediately felt goosebumps in his whole body and wished he could turn back. Killian spied the centaur near a big tree. The magical creature's head, torso and arms appeared to be human but they were joined to a horse's body.

“Hello Firenze.” Hagrid said.

“Hello Hagrid. I see you bought some friends. Miss Granger.” He said with a smile.

“Hello Firenze, it's been a while, hasn't it?”

“Hagrid explained me what you are here for.” Firenze mentionned. “You wish to open a portal to another universe, is that right?”

“That's right.” Skye replied. “I had no idea centaurs knew how to do that.”

“You see, we centaurs are quite the specialist when it comes to divination and astrology. We believe that every star and every planet can tell us secrets about the future, but it also can be a door to somewhere else, somewhere yet to be explored. We are fully aware that others dimensions do exist but unfortunately, humans are too busy minding futile business to believe us or even to listen to us.”

“Have you ever opened a portal before?”

“I have not. To be fair, nobody has. To do that, one needs to find that special star that will into the entrance to another world.”

“Oh, like Neverland is situated second star to the right and straight on't til morning.” Emma claimed.

“Never heard of such a thing but perhaps. To find that star, I need someone who is native of that world. This is why I never managed to do it before, just due to the fact I have not met anyone like this before, until today of course. Therefore, who among you fit the kind of person I just described.”

Everyone but Skye and Fitz stepped back.

“Excellent. Now, if you would please take my hand...”

However, at this moment, Killian heard a herd of centaurs galloped towards them. There were five of them and Killian noticed they were all much younger than Firenze.”

“What are you doing here? Go away!” Firenze roared.

“No we won't.” A centaur with ivory skin replied. “We are tired of you befriending humans. You are dishonoring our kind and it has to stop.”

Firenze laughed.

“It's not five teenage centaurs that are going to stop me. Now, please get out of here.”

“Never, you are not the master here!” Another centaur screamed. “It's time for the next generation of centaurs to make decisions. Consider this a warning.” He turned to the others centaurs of his group. “Now!”

Each centaur bent their bows, each one brandished towards one of the humans, as they took arrows in their quivers.

“You don't want to do that!” Firenze warned.

“Do not tell me what I want or don't want to do.” The centaur, who seemed to be leader of the group, warned with ferocity in his eyes.

“Run!” Hermione yelled.

Killian instantly began running. He ran and ran again, not knowing where he was going. He was hearing the arrows being thrown at him. He got deeper into the heart of the forest. He was now all alone and had no idea where the others might be. He tripped on a root and collapsed on the floor. When he turned his head, he noticed a shadow over him. One of the young centaurs had found him and was pointed an arrow to his heart.

“Please, leave me alone, I don't want to hurt you.”

“I don't care! You humans have been terrorizing us for as long as I can remember us.”

“You don't understand, I'm not...”

“You're not what? You're not like them? Yes, you are! It is time for you to pay or maybe you're just going to take your wand and kill me like your people always do!”

“I don't even have a wand! Please let me... Argh!” The centaur has now stepped on Killian's leg, his hoof pressed against his skin.

“You're hurting me, you human pony!”

“What did you just call me?!” The centaur yelled before throwing an arrow straight into Killian's heart.

Killian felt the blood flowing all over his chest, as the centaur galloped away. He grabbed a few leaves trying to bandage the wound but it was too serious. He felt his temperature body rising a lot like every little cell of his body was burning up. He did not know how much time he had been spending like that, laying on the ground. His vision got blurry and there was a buzzing in his ears. He wondered where Emma was right at this moment and like magic, he heard somebody approaching.

“Emma! Emma! I found him!” A voice screamed. It seemed to be Skye's.

“Oh my god!” Emma weeped as she fell on the floor to hold Killian in her arms. “Don't worry, I'm here now. I'm gonna fix this. I can fix this.”

Deep inside, Killian knew that she could not. He knew that this kind of wound could not be healed, that his time had come. So, he did not say anything. Instead, he imagined Emma and him, at the Church getting married; at the hospital, welcoming the birth of their first baby together, growing old as a couple but at this moment, he knew it was not meant to be. He had spent his whole surviving, but he knew that surviving was not enough, he had to live. It was over now. And as he closed his eyes, ready to enter another world, he heard Fitz in the distance screaming that a portal had just appeared just next to them and he felt Emma's lips against him. This final kiss meant the world to him. It felt sweet and passionate, wet because of Emma's tears dropping on his face. It felt like the earth has just stopped revolving. It was timeless. Killian wanted to say something, to do something but he was too tired and he just wanted to rest forever. He felt his soul leaving this universe and was relieved because after all, death was but the next great adventure.


End file.
